Comments range from demonic to comforting; which is it?
3/24/18 – Today a friend sent me a link to a video commentary on the new Hillsong music video, Peace, and asked my opinion. I think this needs some analysis so I will do my best to provide some clarity.
When analyzing things like this, I am not often satisfied with the efforts of the average youtube-er because they too often take things out of context. A good example is someone with a video channel that learned the hand gesture that represents the goat’s head and Illuminati so every time they see someone make a transitional gesture while speaking, they claim they are flashing the Illuminati sign. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I will set my standard for a higher mark and do my best to get there.
First, this is a song, so we must address the song.
The video of the story behind the song includes interviews with the song writers. One of the writers said his wife suffers with severe anxiety disorder so he wanted to write a song that she could listen to when she was working through a panic attack. What a sweet thought. He seems sincere.
They interviewed his wife and she described her struggle with anxiety. “Our prayer from the beginning was that it would be a song of God’s promise in that scripture, the peace that passes all understanding that will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,” she said.
She, too, seemed sincere. A song written about struggling with mental illness, they said.
So, I read through the lyrics (listed in full below). Now, I’m no theologian but I have enough foundation to make a general observation. I don’t see a major theological problem with the lyrics of the song.
Where’s the problem?
Well, sisters and brothers, it’s with the music video. This is the second issue. And I do not recommend that you view it. I will describe the basic elements.
With the idea of the song being stated to encourage those struggling with anxiety you would expect something soothing, full of the healing of the word of G_d. But…
When I started the video, I had to turn it off in the first second because you can literally feel the darkness. It is very dark.
Now, what is going on here? Goodness. As regular readers know, I work in deliverance and inner healing ministry and have some background studying occult influence for many years. Anyone who knows anything about the occult can see this has occult written all over it and it’s only the first seconds of the video. I also spent most of my adult life working in the professional entertainment industry, so I have experience in this area that helps in my analysis.
The color and setting is very grey, drab, and dark. You can see the four figures sitting on white cubes covered in white, floor-length veils, topped with crowns with black jewels in them. But if you look more closely, you will easily see that all of the four seated figures are men. Hmmm. Interesting.
The fifth figure in the very back, seems to be a female in a crouching position, also in a similar veil and crown.
The veils, with the lighting and the setting, look dingy and grey themselves.
There is a light source, but it is distant and dim.
Ah, but it doesn’t stop there. At only :26 in, we see the vocalist singing the song is fully covered in a bright red veil.
Did you hear that radical scratch across an old record? Stop the presses right here.
We don’t see her full form until later in the video. We have seen this overt occult theme countless times in recent years in secular music videos. The red clad female in a setting such as this one would indicate the chosen one for the occult sacrifice, or the bride of the demonic figure. We’ve seen this from Katy Perry and Madonna.
A bright, narrow beam of light hits the female in the crouching position and brings her to life. She reaches her hands up, exposing unusually long nails that are rather creepy in this setting, then jerks the crown off. She stands and the white veil is pulled off. She is very voluptuous and has a Kim Kardashian look. With a medium olive complexion, she could be from a variety of cultural or racial backgrounds.
Sometimes race is an important factor in occult or NWO symbolism but I’m not sure that’s the case here. All the main figures in the video are people of color, including all the visible males on the white cubes, with the possible exception of one.
There is a horizontal beam of light that is a prominent part of the story. As she walks forward toward the camera, the light beam moves up her body. As it gets to her uterine area, there is a musical emphasis and the men come to life. This is odd and troubling and it seems unlikely this is coincidental.
As she takes another step we see there are not four men on white cubes, but six. Why six?? From the frame of the shot it is totally unnecessary to have six, four would have worked fine…and cost less. It seems forced or intentional. This little detail is troubling.
When she walks forward enough that the horizontal light is across her eyes, she closes them with another musical emphasis, then red rain bursts from above her. She raises her face toward it as it covers her once white clothes. It definitely has a creepy vibe as we see her white clothes completely splattered with blood in this very dark setting.
There are also three or four visual montages on screens behind the red-veiled singer that have some interesting images which seem to hint at, among other things, a transgender and gay agenda which they have already been known for. But, even though I made notes of some things, I really think we can’t take the speculation too far here.
This frustrates me. In part, because my ministry area is in deliverance and inner-healing and it is precisely the ignorance of the occult that causes very dark and dangerous cancers to grow within the larger believing congregation. The occult has been peddled to our children in such a heavy handed manner that it’s a tough job to remove the influences, and as congregational leaders, we haven’t educated and supported parents in the right ways to strongly encourage them to set stronger boundaries in this area.
Most churches or congregations don’t want to educate themselves or their members on these vital issues which makes them very easy pickins’ for the Lord of Darkness and his minions. With even some basic study on who the enemy of our souls is, and how he conducts his business, we would have a much better guard over our congregations. The ignorance of the congregants is largely the fault of the leadership.
In both the music video and the behind the scenes video there was no mention of, demonstration of, or even reference to spiritual warfare and how often it is dark forces rather than chemical imbalance or mental illness that is the root or the total cause of anxiety. I had a recent inner healing client who was suffering with very significant anxiety and some depression when we started. By the time our ministry sessions concluded, there was no presence of either. More often than not, these are symptoms of a weak point in our spiritual armor the forces of darkness exploit to torment us. I love seeing people get set free from spiritual bondage! With the reach of Hillsong, imagine how many people suffering with anxiety could be helped if they just included a link to click for more information on inner healing and spiritual warfare training! I guess Hillsong doesn’t offer that kind of training…
On the Hillsong page, under Ministries, the only options are: Hillsong TV, College, Network, and Because We Can which is, guess what, a social justice arm. Hmmm. Isn’t that interesting? No discipleship, no inner healing ministry, no marriage and family counseling to help keep families together, no spiritual warfare training, and no mention of sin or holiness anywhere that I’ve found. Here is the description under Hillsong TV: “Designed to help you live out your God-given potential. Pastor Brian Houston shares empowering and inspiring messages from the Word of God.” Live out your potential? Where in scripture is that? G_d wants us to yield to him entirely so he can have his perfect way. There is no empowerment by the holy spirit without salvation, repentance, and walking in holiness. What kind of empowerment is he referring to? This reminds me of a modern version of Dr. Robert Schuller’s brand of Positive Thinking religion specifically designed to target youth.
But, it’s even more than that. The very same knowledge that we need regarding our spiritual enemies to keep ourselves and our congregants safe from the infiltration of darkness also deepens and strengthens our relationship with Yeshua Jesus. As that relationship grows, we experience more victory, power, and the shalom that He provides. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t like more of those things.
There is one well-intentioned pastor from Australia who posted a youtube commentary on the music video defending it and asking what’s wrong with creativity in the so-called Christian arts.
Creativity??? We can’t minister the light of Yeshua Jesus to others by imitating the darkness using occult themes and imagery! This is exactly the problem! The occult has all kinds of ceremony and visual spectacle, but it is NOT benign: it has meaning. And whether we like it or not, supernatural forces and beings have true power: scripture tells us so. The Lord of Darkness is creative! He was, in his former life, a cherub before the throne of G_d and a minister of music. He is creative in his scheming, and in shape-shifting into an angel of light, a human being, or whatever else he can to achieve deception. Clearly this pastor has no clue about the reality of the forces of darkness and the influence of the occult in this video.
This video clearly has occult imagery and themes and, in my opinion, is awfully close to the line of dark ceremony.
So, here is what I’m asking myself about this video. The third issue: Intent.
Is the leadership at Hillsong completely overtaken with witchcraft and the NWO agenda so that they intentionally push occult themes with music? Or was it unintentional?
Is the leadership at Hillsong completely ignorant of the occult influence in our culture and especially in music videos?
The latter is a difficult case to make because Hillsong has been confronted in godly, loving, biblical ways many times over their abandonment of the holiness to which scripture calls us, and their cozy relationship with the world and occult themes. Spiritual reality dictates, if you are not aligned with the one and only G_d who created us, you are already by default aligned with the lord of this world. That would mean, without a strong commitment to Elohim, they are very vulnerable to deception and to being used by the forces of darkness…maybe to, whether knowingly or unknowingly, being used to further an occult agenda, which is always to draw as many people as possible away from relationship with the almighty, living G_d.
Who hired the video production company? Who approved the storyboards, costumes, overall theme, and design? Whoever approved this needs to meet Yeshua in a much deeper way. He is perfectly holy and all things of darkness are not pleasing to him.
for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord;
walk as children of Light – Ephesians 5:8
We have so much room to be creative and expressive within the bounds of holiness! G_d’s creativity is endless! There is no need to do things like this in the name of “creativity” or “fun”.
Did the video production staff, along with Hillsong approval, intentionally incorporate very clear occult themes, or are they just ignorantly imitating the occult they see in videos of the superstars of pop culture because it seems to them just a style trend?
I wrote an article on the utter spectacle of the Hillsong women’s conference that showcased a naked cowboy figure, dancing girls, and a bearded lady liberty that was escorted onto the stage like a wedding procession by another man. There was an outcry by solid biblical leaders around the world but lead pastor and founder of Hillsong, Brian Houston, made the situation worse when he said in an interview that it was only a matter of someone making a silly decision. With my considerable experience in the professional entertainment industry I’m very sorry to have to say, that is absolutely untrue. There are a host of people who oversee a production of that size and cost, with many rehearsals, costume design meetings and fittings, and matching those production costs with budget constraints. Many in leadership knew for months about those choices.
Please read the important article, Hillsong Apostacy: Naked Cowboy Character at Women’s Conference, to understand more of the history of their questionable choices.
Here’s an excerpt from my article:
Dr. Michael Brown wrote on the subject for Charisma Magazine:
But hey, after all, what’s wrong with that? We don’t want to get religious now, do we? What’s wrong with a youth pastor standing onstage in his underwear during a women’s conference? (Sarcasm fully intended.)
In the past, both privately and then publicly, I have offered my assistance to Hillsong New York, wanting to help them appreciate and embrace the beauty of holiness.
That offer remains today, and for any readers who want to brand me “religious” for having a problem with this “naked cowboy” display in a church setting, I can only say this: You need a fresh encounter with the living God.
We are so assaulted on every side by images and ceremony of the occult that our culture is losing its ability to determine the presence of the darkness. How many friends do you have in your congregation or church who have every Harry Potter movie? Our children have been schooled in witchcraft. And, none of this is accidental: it was the plan from the beginning.
In summary, I don’t have a problem with the new song, Peace. I do have a big problem with the accompanying music video. I don’t recommend you watch it; it’s just more of the same occult themes you’ve already seen and the presentation, in my opinion, is not of G_d. I’ve listed the complete lyrics below. Please read the article I wrote, Hillsong Apostasy, and it will really help you understand what’s going on with Hillsong and why there is such controversy among believers.
The bigger question is whether or not you feel comfortable supporting an organization that produces this type of material marketed to young people in churches and congregations. I don’t feel comfortable with that. I chose long ago to distance myself from and withdraw support from organizations that show a clear pattern of this behavior. I joyfully minister to someone who is learning about repentance and holiness and wants a deeper relationship with Yeshua Jesus. I still pray for Hillsong. But, I no longer support them or buy their music.
I would rather support artists who are truly creative in a godly way.
When we have the answer to the world’s longing, why would we try to be like the darkness that enslaves them? Be the light! Shine the truth, love, and light of Yeshua as brightly as you can!
The time is so very short. Don’t be like the world. Show the thirsty world how the spirit of G_d can change us and satisfy that thirst for a supernatural relationship. We were made to have a supernatural relationship…with G_d; NOT with the darkness. The darkness will never satisfy that longing and it will ultimately destroy you.
If you don’t know Yeshua Jesus, please visit the Who Is Yeshua Jesus? page to learn more. And if you would like prayer, you can email me at: shofarblast@yahoo.com. I pray for my readers frequently.
Shalom.
-ShofarChic
Lyrics:
PEACE
Words and Music by Michael Fatkin, Benjamin Hastings & Melodie Wagner
© 2018 Hillsong Music Publishing
CCLI: 7104628
Verse I
You will stay true
Even when the lies come
Your Word remains truth
Even when my thoughts don’t line up
I will stand tall on each promise you made
Let the rest fade away
CH 1
There’s a peace far beyond all understanding
May it ever set my heart at ease
Dare anxiety come I’ll remember
That Peace is a promise You keep
Peace is a promise You keep
Verse 2
You will stay true
Even in the chaos
Your Word remains truth
Even when my mind wreaks havoc
I will be still for I’ve known all along
My Jehovah Shalom
CH 2
There’s a peace far beyond all understanding
May it ever set my heart at ease
What anxiety fails to remember
Is Peace is a promise You keep
Peace is a promise You keep
Peace to a restless soul
Peace when my thoughts wage war
Peace to the anxious heart
Peace when I feel enclosed
Peace when I loose control
Peace when my fear takes hold
Peace to a restless soul
CH 3
I’ve found peace far beyond all understanding
Let it flow when my minds under siege
All anxiety bows in the presence
Of Jesus the Keeper of Peace
And peace is a promise He keeps
SOURCES:
Hillsong music video, Peace:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RljKOjDjHv4
Hillsong’s presentation of the story behind the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LizrOEt-FOI
Article:
Hillsong Apostacy: Naked Cowboy Character at Women’s Conference
A commentary on the Peace video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UekvqMDkjKA&feature=youtu.be
2018, ShofarBlast.org
ShofarBlast.org 