Back To Main Page | Email Us  

 

George Sebastian is Not an Example of a Believer Living By Bold Faith!

Leftbehind.com had an article on their site called Living By Bold Faith. (1) The writer of the article cited George Sebastian as an example of a person Living By Bold Faith: 

The Left Behind Series is full of examples of people Living By Bold Faith. Remember George Sebastian and his determination as he was held prisoner by a GC hostage team in Greece. Who can forget the bold move of the early martyrs, the women who would not accept the mark and chose certain death.

Yes, I do remember the George Sebastian character in particular, because his actions fell far short of bold Christian faith. Yes, he maintained his objective which was silence and he managed to stay alive, but his tactics for survival were not any different from any non-Christian prisoner with military training. 

The authors chose anti-Christian attitudes and examples to write into the George Sebastian capture and escape storyline. I will cite most of these here in this article.

George's First Thought after Capture: Revenge

The very first thing this Christian of supposed Bold Faith did was consider executing immediate vengeance upon Elena (posing as Georgiana) for her part in George's ambush: 

He was tempted to drive his bulk into her, make her pay for whatever she was involved in. (Desecration p. 352)

Now George was human and due to the circumstances was quite angry at this betrayal. Did the authors write into the storyline anything about George ever thinking about the Bible teaching that vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He will repay? No, they had this character who was supposedly Living By Bold Faith, not give God's Word a thought. George restrained himself from an immediate act of vengeance because he had himself, rather than the Lord, in mind: 

But he wanted to conserve his strength for any real chance to escape. (Desecration p. 353)

The authors did not choose to have George stop and think for a moment that as angry as he was at that woman's cruel betrayal, he must first and foremost be loyal to Jesus rather than himself while he was undergoing such a severe trial of his faith. 

Testimony of Jesus Not Found on George's Lips

Right after George was captured by the GC hostage team, he determined not to ever utter one word. This was made out to be a clever tactic in the storyline, but this man of supposed Bold Faith never once testified of the Lord Jesus Christ to his captors. He did not boldly declare his love for his Lord and this example speaks quite loudly. This was the first capture of one of the members of the Trib Force, and the testimony of Jesus was not found on George Sebastian's lips. How is the beast overcome? Yes, by the blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony, and by not loving their lives unto the death. The authors removed the word of George's testimony, and yes, he was overcome by Satan.

Jesus Said He Would Give His Disciples Words To Speak

George determined at the outset that he would not speak a word to his captors. This example is in violation of the scriptures, because Jesus told his disciples: 

"Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. (Luke 21:14-15)

Transcendental Meditation Replaced Leaning on Jesus

The authors chose to have the Christian character, George Sebastian, use Transcendental Meditation to deal with the stress of being held captive by the GC. This is Living by New Age Faith, not living by the Christian Faith.

It hadn't worked long then, and that was what he feared now. This was the real thing. While he regulated his breathing and told himself not to think about his hunger and thirst, they were things he could not blot from his mind. The more he tried, the more they invaded. (Desecration p 374)

George was depicted as being fearful that his New Age coping device would not work rather than fearing the living God who said "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The practice of Transcendental Meditation is central to merging with the religion of the New Age, and practicing it is not an example of bold Christian faith!

Bible Finally Mentioned: But Only as a Diversion Tactic

One would think the authors would have a tribulation saint behave Christianly but alas, you will not find George doing so. The Bible was finally mentioned, but not for the reason you would think. George did not recall verses for spiritual comfort and strength, but only as a means of diverting his mind from the questions posed during his interrogation:

To keep from the temptation of responding nonverbally, George began reciting silently the books of the Bible. Then his favorite verses. Then his favorite songs. (Desecration p. 379) 

I wonder why the authors were loathe to have George pray to his Heavenly Father or think on God's Word to strengthen and sustain him? Where is one example of George Living By Bold (Christian) Faith?

Caution: Dangerous Print Subliminal

George did not speak and give the GC any information, no matter how many times they physically assaulted him. That is good, but no better than many non-Christian prisoners of conscience in prisons all over the world. 

They had not been able to get to him with talk of his family. He knew better than to think his family would be any safer if he talked. If they really knew where his wife and child were, they could easily already be dead. He had despaired of his own life by now too. As long as he would wake up in heaven, there was no sense in giving up a thing. (Desecration p 397)

"As long as he would wake up in heaven, there was no sense in giving up a thing."  This sentence is a print subliminal. The Left Behind Series teaches that a Christian is eternally secure regardless of the sins he commits (without repentance) and that a believer will not even be able to choose to turn his back on Jesus Christ when his faith is being tested. According to the doctrine of eternal security of the non-overcoming kind, which is repeatedly promoted in the Left Behind Series, George will wake up in heaven whether he gives up any information or not! The hidden suggestion to the reader is: Give up the information that will put others in dire danger if it makes sense to do so.

Here is how the sentence could have been worded so it did not send the message that Christians should give up information that will aid Antichrist's forces in their goal of finding and executing innocent people: 

George loved his family, and would not give up any information that would endanger them or anyone else no matter what happened. 

Example of a Christian Thinking it "Made Sense" To Give Up Information that Caused Innocent Christians to Be Killed!

Chloe was portrayed as thinking it made sense to lead the GC to some other Christians in order to divert them away from the underground headquarters:

"Sorry. I'll make it quick. If they're looking to us to lead them to the underground, we'll lead them to one. Only it won't be the real one. It'll be some other unfortunate citizens who'll get raided soon." 

Look at the rationalization the authors gave Chloe to lead Antichrist's forces to other Christians in hiding: They will get raided soon anyway, so why not turn them in to protect the real underground headquarters? This is an evil example that is not at all Christian!

Even if you want to argue that non-Christian groups of people may be hiding underground five years into the Tribulation, that does not make this diabolical example any better. Real Christians love their neighbor. They will not lead Satan's followers to others in order to save their own lives.

Like the World, George Turned to God as the Last Resort

Finally, after George had already despaired of life, he surrendered to God what was left of his strength. It was only after he felt he was going to die that George finally consciously turned to God for strength: 

The power to maintain silence had not come from within but from without. He had, at long last, surrendered to God even whatever resources he thought he had. 

What a mockery of Christianity! The world turns to God when they know they think they are on the brink of death. The world turns to God as a last resort, not the Christian. The Living-By-Bold-Faith Christian turns to God first!

George's Desire to Murder His Captors is Bold Faith? 

So far I have not found a shred of evidence that George behaved like a Christian of bold faith (or any faith) throughout his interrogation by the GC. He did not pray for his captors in obedience to Jesus' command that His followers pray for their enemies. George also did not spend any time praying that God would deliver him from his captivity or that he would be rescued. He was carnally minded and daydreamed about maiming and murdering his captors: 

And if the sleeping guard was the only one with him, he could pounce, disarm the man and silence him in a second. (The Remnant p. 37)

George wanted to say, "For what? Uncuff me and take this blindfold off, you coward, and I'll kill you unarmed." (The Remnant p. 38)

His best chance to escape or do some damage would be when he was unbound and they were moving him. (The Remnant p. 48)

Plato stood watching, weapon in hand, but George wondered how valued the girl was. He could have had her in a headlock before the others noticed, and he could have killed her before they fired. (The Remnant p. 49)

Part of him wanted to do some damage, to show these yokels what an American captive was capable of. Oh, he could do more than clam up. He had already broken one guard's knee, if he had to guess. And all during her administering to his wounds, George had sat close enough to Elena to have blinded her with a two-fingered shot to the eyes, broken her jaw with a punch to the chin, or crushed her to death by flipping the table onto her and dropping his whole body atop it. (The Remnant p. 50)

He fantasized about ignoring her and charging Plato, disarming him, butting him with the weapon, shooting Elena, and taking his chances with the two camped outside. That had better odds, but still not good ones. (The Remnant p. 50)

He wanted to know when the GC finally lost patience and realized he was a hopeless, lost cause. Because when they had finally had enough and his end had come, he wanted to be sure to take one or two with him into eternity. (The Remnant p. 51)

If only I weren't cuffed, George thought. That was when he would have taken his chances. Coldcock the girl, whip off the blindfold, race back down that corridor and outside, and hope for the best. (The Remnant p. 139)

In keeping with the antichrist agenda of the Left Behind Series, the authors did not have George even once stop and try to resist the temptation of musing about harming and killing his enemies. George did not resist Satan, he gave in to him. 

Finally, George Acted on His Strong Desire to Kill Elena

At the first sensation of skin on skin, George Sebastian called on all his years of training, football, and lifting. As he pushed off the floor with his palms and drove his heels into the back of the elevator, the massive quads and hamstrings in his thighs drove him up and into Elena, who had murdered her last believer. (The Remnant p. 167)

The phrase, "who had murdered her last believer" indicates George's murderous intent. He chose to murder her rather than overpower her, confiscate her weapon, tie her up, and escape. The authors made sure the reader knew details about George that show he most definitely could have escaped without killing Elena. For example, he had extensive military training, and at 240 pounds, he was twice her size. With the element of surprise he used to escape, he could have escaped without killing her in cold blood. The authors chose to portray George, a Christian, as wanting to kill his captor, following through with this murder, and never repenting of this sin. 

George's 240 pounds slammed into her so fast and hard that as he wrapped his arms around her waist he felt the top of his head push her stomach against her spine. (The Remnant p. 168)

Remember, the authors presented this scenario in the way they chose. They could have had George pray (before he sprang on Elena) and ask God to help him to spring out of the elevator and overpower Elena and confiscate the weapon without harming her. Instead, they chose to present George as intending to kill Elena. 

The "Elena Kill"

Incredibly, the authors depicted Christian characters using terrorist talk to describe George's murder of Elena:

"What do you make of that, Chang?"

(Mac responded) "I don't worry about it. Sebastian confirmed the Elena kill, and he has her phone. The Remnant p. 175

The authors chose to have Mac use terrorist talk and calling Elena's death "the Elena kill.." Nobody batted an eyelash and there was no further discussion.. It was depicted as though it was all in a day's work. 

Mac wanted to "take a few out of them" as well:

"I wish we could have gone back," Mac said. "I'd like to have taken out a few of them myself." The Remnant p. 196

Terrorists want to "take people out," not Christians. If a Christian is forced to defend his family by taking up arms, he must be in much prayer and do everything possible to avoid encountering and entering into combat those who would seek to harm his family. Self-defense is different from murder. Murder is committed with malice. As you can see, Mac, and George had malice in their hearts and murder, not self-defense, on their minds.

For those of you who defend the authors' decision to repeatedly emphasize George's desire to kill his anti-Christ tormentors and never have him have a moment of remorse after he carried out that desire, please be advised that you are defending the fact that they are portraying Christians as dangerous characters in the Left Behind Series who will execute vengeance on those who cross them.

Already Christians are being depicted as right-wing domestic terrorist material. The future results of the general public thinking that Christians are filled with blood lust and violence are obvious. Save this linked webpage in case it disappears.

George Sebastian did not live by bold Christian faith. His faith was not of the Christian kind. 

Notes.

(1) http://leftbehind.com/channelliveforgod.asp?pageid=718&channelID=159

Also see: Murder For "The Cause"

Back To Main Page | Email Us  

Liberty To The Captives Established in June 2001