'So Let It Be Done': As ABC Re-Airs 'Ten Commandments' for 45th Time, Here's What You Didn't Know About 1 Epic Special Effect - CBN News Steve Warren

Screenshot of Charlton Heston as Moses from the trailer for Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic "The Ten Commandments." (Image credit: Paramount/Wikipedia)

'So Let It Be Done': As ABC Re-Airs 'Ten Commandments' for 45th Time, Here's What You Didn't Know About 1 Epic Special Effect

04-15-2019

CBN News Steve Warren

Cecil B. DeMille's biblical epic about an original game of thrones played out between two Egyptian princes will be seen again on broadcast television this weekend.

The Academy Award-winning The Ten Commandments will air on the ABC television network at 7:00 pm Eastern/6:00 pm Central, Saturday, April 20. 

Spoiler alert:  One prince wins the throne, while the other ends up as a messenger for the Most High. 

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Except for one gap in 1999, the 1956 classic film, starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Rameses, has been broadcast by ABC around Easter and Passover since 1973.   

The Ten Commandments remains one of the most popular films ever made. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. 

It was also a box office hit. The film is the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation, according to Wikipedia.  As of 2011, the movie was estimated to have brought in more than $2 billion. 

The cast reads like a who's who of old Hollywood. Along with Heston and Brynner, the film also stars Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, Vincent Price, and John Carradine.

The working title of the film was originally "Prince of Egypt." It was directed and produced by DeMille, who intended it as a remake of his earlier 1923 Paramount film The Ten Commandments. 

According to the Turner Classic Movies website, in the original theatrical version of the film before the opening title credits, DeMille is seen stepping from behind a curtain and onto a stage. He then directly addressed the viewing audience, telling them that the Bible omits approximately 30 years in its description of the life of Moses and that the filmmakers drew upon historical works such as those by Philo and Josephus and the Hebrew Midrash for the picture. 

The director also explained that the subject of Moses' life is particularly timely, as it deals with themes such as whether man is to be ruled by God's law or the whims of a dictator like Rameses. The director said the filmmakers' intent was "not to create a story but to be worthy of the story divinely created 3,000 years ago, the five books of Moses." 

The film also has the significance of having the most expensive special effect ever made for a film -- the parting of the Red Sea.

In April 1955 the New York Times reported the special effects team "built a 200,000 cubic-foot swimming pool and installed hydraulic equipment that could deluge the area with 360,000 gallons of water in two minutes flat."  

A May 20, 1955, Hollywood Reporter news item asserted that the Red Sea sequence would cost $500,000, both for filming and creating the special effects. The Times review, however, claimed that the scene "cost more than a million dollars and took 18 months to shoot."

Last year, Jeff Pfeiffer wrote an article posted to the TV Insider website about The Ten Commandments re-airing on ABC and asked the questions: Why is the film still so popular today when any film, including The Ten Commandments, is readily available via streaming or DVD?  And why do people still display a sometimes passionate desire to see ABC air this film every year at around the same time?

"This seems to be a case where it's not only the film itself but the tradition of watching it on television, most likely with family, that combines to make it a special event for many viewers, perhaps made stronger set against the backdrop of various spring holidays," he wrote. 

"Television times may have changed, but ABC's annual Easter airing of The Ten Commandments can still give (particularly older) viewers some sense of that comfort and familiarity," Pfeiffer continued. 

So this Saturday night, plan on spending some time with your family watching the movie... and pass the popcorn. 

Hollywood ain’t got noth’n on Moses! - Ron Cantor Messiah's Mandate

Hollywood ain’t got noth’n on Moses!

Ron Cantor —  January 17, 2018

The story of Moses could not have been written by Hollywood’s best screenwriter. We have an evil king in Pharaoh. We have an oppressed people in the Israelites. We have a baby redeemer.

The story begins with a nervous Pharaoh, trying to stymie the growth of the Israelite people. But the plan backfires.

“But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.” (Ex. 1:12)

An Ancient Hitler

Finally, Pharaoh commands the midwives to kill the Hebrew baby boys at birth. But they feared God. How can women, with such a noble calling as bringing life into this world, murder these precious babies? It only amplifies how utterly evil the modern practice of abortion is. They refuse to do it, and because they fear the God of the Israelites, He protects them and gives them families of their own.

As the population of the Israelites grew, Pharaoh came up with a more Hitler-esque idea. “Every Hebrew boy that is born, you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (Ex. 1:22)

A family from the tribe of Levi, who already had a boy and a girl, became pregnant again. It was another boy. Jochebed, the mother, could not bear to have him killed, so she placed him in a waterproof basket and positioned him in the reeds of the Nile—I assume, to keep him from being taken by the current. It was a huge risk. But she must have felt that this was a child of destiny, even as Joseph took Yeshua as a baby to Egypt to escape Herod’s similar plan.

A Perilous Journey

And He heard her prayers. Jochebed sent her daughter, Miriam, to see what would happen with the child. Imagine it is Germany (and not Egypt) and a Jewish mother hides her baby from Hitler’s death machine. To her shock, Hitler’s daughter finds the baby! Game over, right? Well, that is exactly what happened to her.The Nile crocodile is 12-feet-long and they were known to hang out on the shores. It is the longest river in the world, passing through 11 countries. The Nile perch can grow to 175 pounds and there are over 30 species of snakes, most of which are venomous. I have to wonder if her husband knew of the plan? If not, how did he react when he found out? Did he trust God or was he angry? She put the whole family at risk. There are many similarities between this couple, and Joseph and Miriam. You can only imagine that Jochebed cried out to the God of Israel for Him to preserve her baby.

The daughter of the bloodthirsty Pharaoh finds the baby in the reeds. Surely, she knew these babies were to be killed. All she had to do was have one of her slaves flip over the basket to join the other babies in the Nile. But God moved on her heart.

“She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said.” (Ex. 2:7)

Pharaoh’s daughter: If she had only known…

Miriam, and this had to take some courage, spoke up and ask, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” (Ex. 2:7) Had Pharaoh’s daughter known, at that moment, that this baby would grow up and be the cause of her brother’s downfall, as he would be the next pharaoh, she surely would not have answered as she did. But again, God moved on her heart.

“’Yes, go,’ she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.’ So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.’” (Ex. 2:8-10)

Unbelievable! In the morning, Jochebed gave her baby to the Nile River. Within a few hours, Moses is back in her arms, drinking milk from her breast. He stays there for several years before he goes to live as the grandson of Pharaoh. Only God could have orchestrated this. The man he will grow up to defy is now his uncle. The rest is history.

Peter tells us that God doesn’t show favoritism. If God protected young Moses and led him into his destiny, we can trust that he will do the same for us! The Father loves you!

GOD LOVED ISRAEL - Part 2 of 2 by Pastor Abel Oyewale Nigeria, West Africa

Pastor Abel with the new Israel t-shirt (IDF) 

and hat sent from Love For His People

GOD LOVED ISRAEL

Part 2 of 2

Pastor Abel Oyewale 

Nigeria, West Africa

October 22, 2017

A. SUSTAINED THEM IN AND OUT OF EGYPT

"So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus)

Eventually, the people of God (Israel) found themselves in Egypt according to God's declaration. Of course, He had gone ahead to prepare them and provide for their unstoppable release.

He came down to sensitize and facilitate the unstoppable movement to the covenant Land.
He appointed, empowered and commissioned the Leader (Moses) for the unstoppable journey.

He raised up aides for Moses, fought all their battles and supplied all their needs on the road. Why? He was faithful to His covenant.

The few losses they encountered on the road came about during the periods of disobedience. 

The presence of God in the lives of His people is indispensable but can be sustained by total obedience.

B. SURRENDERED WHAT HE HAD COVENANTED

After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by the old and well advanced in years, summoned all Israel (Joshua 23:1)

God powerfully led His people into the Promised Land according to His covenant. It was neither a barren nor an unoccupied land, so He had to displace some people so as to properly position His own people. When Moses had been withdrawn, He completed His work through Joshua who was also chosen, commissioned and enabled by God. God keeps covenant.

Joshua not only divided the Land for God's people, but he called them unto total obedience and discipleship of the only God who saved them.

Whenever God unconditionally covenants to do a thing, He becomes unstoppable. Though God's people suffered the results of moments of disobedience, God still honoured His Word by properly allocating them a portion here on earth.

May our good God of Israel bless you all.

Ahava and Shalom,

Pastor Abel Oyewale
Abba Father Fellowship International-Nigeria.souls4christ2005@yahoo.com

+2348115306866

Read Part 1 here: GOD LOVED ISRAEL - Part 1

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Some of the contents sent to Nigeria in October 2017

Pastor Abel wearing the t-shirt and hat from Israel below.

Bibles provided with funds sent from Love For His People

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T-shirt from Israel included in the Pastor's Package from Love For His People

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"Patience. Just Wait A Minute." - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Patience. Just Wait A Minute (or longer).

by Steve Martin

“Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ (Messiah).” (2 Thess. 3:5 NKJV)

Patience doesn’t develop overnight. Awesome reality, right? It takes a few minutes to develop.

Those of you who remember the Polaroid cameras, with the “instant” photos (back in the 1960’s) knew you had to wait a while for the white paper to turn color. If we wanted the best picture possible, having that technology then, we had to wait about three minutes. For this generation, the digital photo is right there on your smartphone the second you take it. No wonder our grandkids don’t know how to wait!

When I read in Scripture the verse I shared above, I was amazed at just the thought of how much patience the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) really does have. Think of it for a moment. Paul prays that the Lord would direct our hearts into the patience of Christ, our Messiah. For that patience to be continually ongoing and be manifested towards us and through us.

The Lord has waited until now for you to do that which He instructed you to do last week. He is still waiting for you to complete the job He gave you last month. And that assignment you are still working on from 10 years ago? Yes, He is still waiting. His patience is beyond our human understanding.

I have an old photo of the Grand Canyon, mounted on the front of a piece of wood so it can hang on the wall. It has thus been on my wall for a few decades now. The caption reads, “God’s work takes time.” What an image! It certainly does! (I should put it next to the old generational photos of our ancestral families Laurie has hanging in our home’s main entrance hallway. His creation of them took some time too!)

Community in the last days will consist of people who are walking in patience. We will have learned that God’s work takes time, but that He is always on time. Never early. Never late.

Our maturity in this fruit of the Holy Spirit, Ruach HaKodeh, will have reached a point that we are not anxious about when God will do something, but knowing that He certainly will do it, as He said He would. (Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control.” CJB)

Just look at Israel and the Jews. The entire land was first promised to Abraham centuries ago. Time and again the Jews were driven out, but always brought back to their Promised Land by His Mighty Hand of Providence. Again, just in the last century, after being scattered throughout all the nations, He has brought them back again. What a patient God we serve!

Even now the Lord is growing patience in your heart. If you think of a coin with its two sides, not only has He shown you how long He has waited for your obedience in situations, but on the other side of the coin, He has also been causing you to wait on others, giving them time to grow in their faith walk. He is allowing us to realize that we each need time to hear, respond and obey as He speaks. When we do, our understanding of His everlasting patience grows. We then tend to allow others the needed time to get where He knows they should be.

What our God did in Abraham’s life, David’s life, and those women who waited for the promise of a child to come forth are further examples for us to follow. We need to learn from them in our understanding of patience, as we wait upon the Lord to fulfill personal promises in our lives. The Lord’s molding of our Jewish patriarch Abraham, the father of faith, allows us to see the years he had to have patience grow, for the promised son Isaiah to come. And even though he wavered in that, resulting in the birth of Ishmael, the Lord God didn’t withdraw His Word. The Lord’s patience with him allowed Abraham’s faith to see the promise.

We all know the story of Joseph – how patience had to be worked out in his own heart - with time in prison and then during the role of being second only to Pharaoh in government. This was part of the Lord’s plan in Joseph’s life. The Lord was allowing the years to go by, while also waiting for Joseph’s brothers to come to the point of seeing him again, and repenting of their deed.

Whether Joseph actually thought he would see his brothers again or not wasn’t the main point, but I believe the Lord taught Joseph a valuable lesson in having patience through this long ordeal. When the fruit was ripe, he was allowed to eat.

In considering the ongoing evil that takes place in the hearts of men, I have often asked the Lord why He waits so long before He does something about it, before His righteous judgment comes forth. (Oh, He will act. History has proven that.) It is because of His long suffering patience, wanting to give man every opportunity to repent and turn to Him, that His timing operates on a different clock than ours.

Patience first comes from the Lord for our lives. Then it grows in us as a fruit of the Holy Spirit - in our attitude and action toward others. We are then understanding why He waits so long, and allows things in our lives to seemingly go on past our expected done date. He is unfolding His perfect plan and purposes for us, and the peoples of the nations.

He is not quick to act, but He is sure to act for His plans and purposes. When the appointed time has come, the patience we have been allowed to grow will have been all worth it. And it will not be a minute too late.

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

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Now Think On This #128  “Patience  - Just Wait A Minute”  Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (03.11.14) Tuesday at 4:30 am in Charlotte, NC).

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