After the release of Lil Nas X music video "Montero" there has been a lot of buzz about the satanic symbols & sexual content that he displayed in his video. I came across a lot of different post on facebook but one Christian worldview on the matter caught my attention and I wanted to share Leroy Hills (LH) perspective on the "Montero" video.
LH • "Lil Nas X is about to make you lose your mind... but you really shouldn’t.
First, his depiction of hell is not a biblical depiction. It is based on the classic works of John Milton (Paradise Lost) and Dante Alighieri (Inferno). Their works defined what the Devil is like and his supposed ruling and reigning in hell. But anyone who has read the Bible knows that no one is in hell right now. The first inhabitants of hell will be the beast and the false prophet (Rev 19:20-21). The Devil will be cast into hell too, but not to rule and reign in hell but as punishment (Rev 20:10). Milton and Alighieri’s have unfortunately and erroneously shaped much of our understanding of the Devil and hell. Neither of the author’s wanted to do that but their works have had a lasting effect.
Nas X’s video is provocative, seedy, sad, and corny... but should it evoke outrage?
First, getting outraged because he’s depicted himself having a flirtatious relationship with the Devil, what most people do everyday of their lives, may outrage you only because you think that the fictional depiction of that flirtatious relationship is worse than the actual flirtatious one that people have with him daily. Here, Nas is being honest; most merely deceive themselves.
Second, his depiction of hell and the Devil is unbiblical. I’m angry about his depiction insofar as it deceives people from understanding the real Devil and the reality of hell. The real Devil is not a being to be toyed with, joked about, or diminished. Hell is a place of complete torment (not torture) and the ultimate separation from the good, the true, and beautiful forever. Insofar as both are reduced to caricatures of the real thing, people will be deceived into thinking that neither is to be avoided.
Third, I’m mostly sad for Nas X. This kind of video demonstrates a complete acceptance of a life hostile to God. There is a way that seems pleasurable for a season but the end leads to destruction. Instead of recrimination —pray for that dude. Don’t waste emotion over faux imagery, deal with the root issue.
In Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan tried to overthrow God and was subsequently cast into hell. He later reasons, “better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven,” which is exactly what Nas X concludes in his video. There will be no rule or reign in hell just torment from knowing that for you Paradise (exactly what you think you will gain in hell) will be lost forever."
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