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The Matrix [compiled by Mark Asproy and Tom Coates]
A MOVIE REVIEW
MATRIX is a positive and realistic exposé of several Biblical Doctrines
concerning; the Angelic war, belief and subsequent spiritual rebirth, Faith
and how it develops, the power of Faith and how it develops, demonic
possession and demonic control of humans, the relationship of the Church
to the world, the relationship of believers to non believers, and the
coming replacement of Satan's world system with Gods system.
In MATRIX the character Neo is cast as a Messiah. Katzinzakies in his book
'The Last Temptation of Christ' and the subsequent movie based on the book
by Scorsese, developed the character of Christ as not knowing and or
doubting that he was the Christ. This is the same model used by the film
makers. This of course is not the Biblical Truth. The Messiah without doubt
knew who He was when He came 2,000 years ago. When He returns, and in the
case of MATRIX it is an depiction of the return visit, He will destroy
this world system and set up His system of Truth.
So, the basic plot is as follows. I will use " " marks to tie a plot
idea to Biblical Doctrine. A man known as Neo lives in a large city working in a software company. He has for a long time believed that there was something behind what most humans take to be reality. This
thinking/exploration has drawn the attentions of personalities on both
sides of the "angelic conflict" who contact him. He has encounters with both. Neo by makeup is of the "Truth". So when he again encounters the character Morpheus and is "witnessed to" by him, Neo makes the "conscious intellectual decision" to believe. That decision is illustrated by the ingestion of a colored pill. Neo then undergoes the process of being "born again". This birth takes place in a coffin like apparatus when he is disconnected from the mechanical connections that have been sucking his energy while his true consciousness is actually asleep. His true self had been asleep while his mind was occupied by the Matrix. As part of this sequence he views millions upon millions of other coffins of sleeping humans before being expelled into a sewer like tube. He is then plucked from the sewer and raised aloft in what is a visual pose of crucifixion. Now as a new man among the company of Morpheus and the other "saved", he sees himself and the world as it really is. They are a church. He then begins the process of absorbing information, "Doctrinal Truth", through "the Churches" computer system that can be directly linked to his mind through a plug in his neck. Having absorbed a sufficient amount of Doctrine, his next step in growth is to learn what "Faith" is. This development of faith starts in martial arts training and is ongoing throughout the film continuing right up to the end. As Neo develops in Faith, he then begins to manifest the relationship between Faith and power in the physical world. Little by little he comes into himself and the power
that flows through him because of his faith.
The "Churches" opponents are called agents, "the Devil and his demons".
They are the "rulers of the world" and they rule it by maintaining the veil
of a "great lie" in front of the eyes of humans, also called the Matrix. In
the words of the character Morpheus (and St. Paul), "all humans are born
into slavery". The demons create the illusion through the Matrix that the
humans are in control of their lives, progressing forward in a free world.
But in reality the humans are being kept from reaching their spiritual
potential. They are trapped in coffins oblivious to their true selves. This
lie/Matrix allows the demons to suck the life energy out of the humans
until the human no longer creates energy, i.e. "physical death". They are
then flushed into a sewer. The body, along with the human soul by
implication, is then discarded and lost forever.
Some additional parallels in the plot are: The Church holds the codes to a
hidden city named ZION. Zion is a city of Truth and will be the future
habitation of all believers of the Truth. The demons are after the code in
order to destroy Zion because it represents the one system, "Gods system",
that will defeat and replace the Lie/Matrix with a system of Truth.
There is a Judas figure who, as the real Judas did, consciously chooses to
live in darkness instead of the light. At one point he states that he
prefers the lie of the Matrix to having to accept the authority of the
church and its leadership by Morpheus. The perfect example of the pride
that caused Lucifer's fall and keeps many humans in slavery.
The ship where the Church resides is named Nebuchadnezzar. Who as we know
from the Prophet Jeremiah and the book of Daniel, was an instrument of God.
Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon eventually became a believer in God. He
provided a temporary and comfortable housing in Babylon for Judah until
their eventual return to the Holy Land.
The jump sequence illustrates Matthew 14:24-32 where Peter walks on the
water towards Christ. Peter only begins to sink when he looks down and
focuses on the waves, the darkness, and his fears instead of Christ. Christ
then pulls him up and says "you of little faith, why did you doubt?".
The women in red sequence and the later explanation of it by Morpheus
depicts the believers relationship to other non-believing humans in the
present world system.
The final short scene in a phone booth with monologue has Neo describing
the potential of regenerated man. He then emerges from the booth and flies
up into the sky illustrating the freedom from limitations of his new person
and body both physical and spiritual. It is the same type of "Glorified
body" that Christ now has and the Bible promises all believers will receive
when He returns.
When looked at closely in relation to Biblical revelation, there are holes
and inconsistencies in the plot and behaviors of the MATRIX characters. But
I think most will agree that in general it is refreshingly, and powerfully
close.
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