Time to Get Unplugged by Taleia Bowers (Guest Contributor)

In 1999 an iconic movie called The Matrix was released and it changed the way we see movies. It practically set the tone for action and science fiction movies in the new millennium. It also spawned 2 successful sequels. But I wanted to take a few minutes to do a religious perspective of the original film. The movie had many religious undertones to it other than the fact that the ship flown by the main crew in the film was named the Nebuchadnezzar after King Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel in the Bible.

The entire plot of the film can be understood in much the same way Christians perceive salvation. In the movie we learn that humans created machines, the machines eventually rose up against them and the humans lost the war.  After the war, all subsequent humans were born in "The Matrix" which, in the movie, was a simulated reality created by the machines to enslave the human race and use their bioelectricity for power.  Humans remained slaves until they were unplugged from The Matrix.  After being unplugged, their natural bodies were either located by a ship and rescued or sent to be liquefied and fed to other enslaved humans. 

Now the religious tie I see there is that humans were created by God from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).  Humans had dominion over the earth but chose sin over obeying God which allowed humans to become slaves to their sinful nature.  Now every human is born into sin and remains in sin until they are born again of water and Spirit (John 3:5) or they die and their natural bodies return to the very dust of the earth the first human was formed from.  So in this scenario "The Matrix" represents humans' sinful nature.  In the film we follow the character of Neo who is believed to be "the One".  The One is prophesied by an Oracle to deliver all of mankind from the Matrix.  Neo is born into the Matrix and rescued by the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar and told of his true identity.  He trains to become this savior of mankind.  During his training he is taught that agents are dangerous software programs that patrol the Matrix and eliminate threats. 

Because anyone that was hardwired into the Matrix was not aware that they were in a simulated world, they could be taken over by these agents and used as the agents see fit.  Neo was also told that not everyone was ready to be unplugged from the Matrix and that they had to choose to be freed.

That brings us to our next religious tie. If you haven’t guessed yet, Neo represents Jesus whose birth was prophesied thousands of years before he was born. Jesus was born into this world of sin so that he could be our Savior.  He was freed from his fleshly body when he died on the cross and rose again.  The agents in the Matrix represent demons/the devil’s army/sometimes the devil himself who roam about the earth seeking anyone that is vulnerable, hardwired if you will, to their sin so that he can devour their souls (1 Peter 5:8).  Anyone that has not been born again i.e. freed from the Matrix can be used as the devil sees fit.

Here is another connection, not every sinner is ready to be delivered from their sinful nature but have to choose salvation before Jesus can save (unplug) them to be freed.  In the movie the crew of free humans aboard the ship Nebuchadnezzar could hack into the Matrix and help free other humans that were still plugged in.  The crew represents Christians that have been born again who walk in this sinful world but are not of the world (John 17:14), spreading the gospel of our Savior, Jesus, which can free anyone that is willing from their sinful nature.  Also in the movie we saw Neo willing to lay down his own life for his friend Morpheus, just as Jesus actually laid down his life for His friends (John 15:13).  Towards the end of the movie Neo came face to face with agents and he actually died in Matrix.   The symbolism is thick in that Neo rose again with more power than ever, defeated the agents and then put the machines on notice that he would show people a world free of them.

When we look deeply at the Matrix and open our minds to the symbolism that the movie presents, we can see that the movie has Christian themes woven throughout.  We all know that Jesus, who Neo represented, died on the cross and He rose with all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).  In the book of Revelation, we see that in the end the devil and his army will be cast into an eternal lake of fire and this sinful world will pass way and a new world free from sin will be formed (Revelation 21:1). 

I realize that there are many parts of the movie I left out like they betrayal of Cypher which you could compare to Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus.  The big picture that I am trying to convey is that the Matrix has numerous religious, namely Christian motifs that may have been overlooked by the casual viewer or the viewer that is not acquainted with the themes that are interwoven throughout the bible.  So for me, this was just an interesting way to illustrate how the subjects of Christianity and salvation are prevalent in this film and are presented in both subtle and overt ways.  More importantly, my question to you is this: "are you ready to be unplugged from the matrix of sin that you are trapped in?"  Jesus is waiting and when you get tired of being a slave to sin He will set you free.  Thanks for reading and God bless.

A Way In...A Way Out

The bible says that we should not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).  In context, Satan can come in through various entrances.  Our anger, our sinful behavior any opportunity for Satan to manipulate us or manipulate a situation, he will take it.  Satan is always looking for a way in.  When asked in Job where he had been, Satan responded roaming to and fro throughout the earth.  Peter describes him as a roaring lion that prowls and seeks whom he may devour.

It is important that we close up the breaches that exist in our lives.  We must be like Nehemiah and repair the walls that keep unclean influences out and keep those that God is sanctifying in.  If Satan cannot use your anger to get in, he will seek a different avenue.  Be certain that he will never cease trying to get in and sometimes, he will because we are not perfect.  We should pray to God to reveal to us any breaches that exist in our walls and ask him to fix them!

Satan is always looking for a way to come in a wreak havoc in our lives.  Sometimes, he is allowed in by God's permissive will.  Ask Peter.  In Luke 22:31, Jesus informed Peter that the devil had demanded permission to sift him as wheat.  The funny thing is, Jesus did not say that God told Satan no, but He did promise Peter that He had prayed for him and that because of His prayers, Peter's faith would not fail.  When  the permissive will of God allows Satan in, there is something to be learned from the experience.  It will be hellish but Satan will have limits imposed on him. 

When these situations come up, Satan will usually attack your family, your finances and your health.  His sole purpose is to dislodge the believer from their faith and God's sole purpose in allowing the matter is to increase the believer's faith.  If we examine Job's life, Job was systematically attacked by Satan.  Initially, Satan wanted God to smite (Job 1:11, "but if you stretch out your hand against him, he will curse you to your face.)  Job but God did not fall for that trick because in God's eyes Job was innocent (Job 1:12).  God does not smite the innocent, he does not punish anyone without cause.

We see Job's life through a microscope in that we are given intimate details in the book of Job.  He was a man of great stature and wealth. Satan attacked his children and his property.  When that didn't work, Satan attacked Job's health.   He sought another way in, not simply to cause trouble, but to cause Job's faith to fail.  That's Satan's primary purpose in a test- if he can get us to no longer believe that God is good and that God loves us and if he can get us to walk away from God...he knows that we are doomed. 

If you are enduring a test right now, remember that God is still in control and that He still loves us.  If there is something in your life that is putting distance between you and God, pray with candor and ask God to show you what it is.  God does not make mistakes nor does he allow suffering without a purpose.  He will always offer a way out after the testing/refining/chastisement is complete.  He is the way out.  He will heal our "land" if we follow the prescription laid out in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  God's grace and peace be upon you.

Mom and Mom, Pop and Pop, Pop and Mom

Please humor me in this endeavor to explain why gay marriage is totally ludicrous and why those who are homosexual that, all of a sudden, think that they should be married are only coveting what God has ordained as an exclusive union between a man and a woman.  Marriage was the first institution that God ordained.  He created marriage before the church was even created.  God allowed Adam to name every creature and then the Bible says that there was not ONE suitable as a helper for Adam.  As a side note, this is also a word to say that bestiality is wrong, otherwise Adam could have hooked up with any of the animals that He wanted.  So, the Bible says that, because there was no suitable helper for Adam, the Lord put Adam to sleep, took one of his rib bones and fashioned it into a woman.  Think about the magnificent creative power that it took to take a bone and make it into a person.  Maybe that is a metaphorical reference but the thought of it is still staggering.  The ribcage encases the heart and lungs, both vital organs for survival.

So, after all of the creatures were created and named, God ended up creating Adam's mate from within the first body that He created.  He created them co-equally but that didn't last because of sin.  Sin had consequences and repercussions that led to the woman being made subject to the man.  That's another blog post but here is the thing, God created a mate for Adam that Adam named...drum roll please...WO-man, because SHE came out of man.  The Hebrew word for woman is ishshah which means female.  That alone is enough common sense for me to say that marriage should be between a male and a female.  But again, that's just me.

The people that would pervert marriage are doing so based on emotional love.  Love based on feelings and not deep and spiritual love that comes from God.  Adam's love while it may have had an emotional component, was also spiritual because he was intimately connected with this woman.  She came out of his own body.  In my opinion, marriage and happiness occurs when a man's rib bone returns to him i.e. when the helper that God created as suitable for him is sent to him by God or he is sent to her by God.

So, when Mom and Mom show up at the steps of the courthouse, is this a man and his missing rib bone coming together?  No, it is two rib bones that belong somewhere else.  When Pop and Pop show up at the Justice of the Peace to get hitched, is this a man and his missing rib bone coming together?  No, it is two people, both missing rib bones that belong somewhere else.  The biblical definition of marriage is very simple and has been held up for years...it is between a man and his rib bone, or a man and a WO-man.  Very simple.

Children that are thrust into these selfish relationships are destined to be confused regarding human sexuality.  How can you walk into your school with Mom and Mom?  Which one is Dad?  If Pop and Pop show up, which one is Mom?  God gave Adam certain equipment and Eve certain equipment meant to make them fruitful and make them such that they could multiply and populate the earth when their equipment was brought together.  Not only that, but God made the experience pleasurable for all involved!  Now, when Pop and Pop get together, their equipment is the same- there are no eggs to fertilize and therefore no fruitfulness nor any multiplication...that's not natural.  When Mom and Mom get together, one is strapped up and the other is a hapless vessel or they pleasure each other a different way...again not natural.  The operative word is pleasure.  Yes, there may be pleasure, but there is no fruitfulness nor is there any multiplication.  It stands to reason that these relationships only based on two people pursuing pleasure and not pursuing what God intended.  So the children are adopted, unwittingly, into automatically dysfunctional situations between two selfish people that are only together to satisfy their own pleasures.

Speaking of pleasures, I was recently listening author Sherif Girgis, the author of "What is Marriage?: A Man and a Woman" (What is Marriage?) and co-author of an excellent article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy (Girgis, Sherif, George, Robert and Anderson, Ryan T., What is Marriage? (November 23, 2012). Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 245-287, Winter 2010. [PDF of article], who made a great point that marriage is more than pleasure and romantic love.  Marriage is not simply based on pleasure although there is great pleasure in marriage.  But one should never enter into marriage because of physical or even emotional pleasure.  It is more than that.  The physical and emotional parts play a big role, but they wear out and if the "love" is only based on that, when the ability to be physically pleasing fades and the emotions turn from gooey and mushy to angry...what happens then?  Marriage must contain both Agape and Eros love in order to be sustainable and to be real.  It cannot be all eros, but Mom and Mom and Pop and Pop are only interested in eros, pleasure and that's it.

What's my point.  I am wholeheartedly FOR Mom and Pop and wholeheartedly against Mom and Mom and Pop and Pop.  It's that simple.  If Mom and Mom and Pop and Pop want to get hitched, don't use the term marriage because that is based on the biblical definition of a man and a woman coming together in an exclusive union.  Are there problems in marriage, absolutely.  Are heterosexual marriages perfect?  No.  But what a person does with what God has ordained does not change the fact that God ordained it, God still holds it in high esteem and God's views have not changed.  God still views marriage as between a man and a woman.  Yes culture has shifted, but God is not like a shifting shadow.  He is constant and everlasting.  If God ever changed, that would mean that He would cease to be God.  It's not going to happen.  He doesn't have to line up with us, we have to line up with Him through Christ.

Even with this long diatribe, there is not a bone in my body that hates, despises or has any contempt for anyone of a different sexual orientation.  I love all of my brothers and sisters.  It is my sincere prayer that folks come to their senses and realize the error of their ways and realize that all of us are sinners in need of God's grace.  Some people's sins are more public than others, but we are all trapped in a battle with our flesh.  May God bless and keep you as you continue on this Christian journey. 

Joy In the Morning

I have been dealing with a lot of stuff lately.  There has been a seemingly endless pile of things that have sought to consume me.  Trials can make you fold or they can make you focus.  I have done both, at different times.  I have folded only to be reminded by God that He is STILL in control.  I have also focused, remembering that as long as I am walking by sight I will fail but when I walk by faith, I am depending on God and not on myself.  Focus is one thing, but the object of our focus needs to be defined.  Jesus is to be the object of our focus and the issue or trial should not be exalted above Him.  Even with the different trials and with both proper and improper responses on my part, God has been faithful and in moments that I felt like there was no hope, He spoke.  I cried out to Him, He heard me and He responded.

David speaks of this type of dilemma in Psalm 30:5 and also in Psalm 27:13.  He says in Psalm 30:5 that weeping only endures for a night but joy comes in the morning.  David was speaking of momentary affliction or chastisement that was brought on by/ allowed by God.  This was a teachable moment in his life and these times are also teachable moments in our lives as well.  He said in a different Psalm, "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes" (Psalm 119:71).  The times that we are under the chastisement of God are times when His love for us is made manifest.  He chastises those that He loves (Hebrews 12:6).  It is during these times where we should listen for what God is trying to teach us.

Momentary chastisement, if we allow it and accept it, can produce a change that is life altering. I know this personally and as I continue to grow, I am beginning to understand that ebbs and flows are inevitable.  Just as the tides move onto the shore and the off again, life's issues rise and fall.  We live in times of plenty and in times of lack.  Life is cyclical with God orchestrating it all.  When the tide goes out and times get lean, these are times when God tests our faithfulness.  It might seem as if God is not there but God's silence does not proclaim His absence.  He's always there.  Those silent times are also times when we can truly learn the direction that God has for our lives.  Teachable moments are all part of the process of spiritual growth.  Rather than complaining in the ebb, I am now starting to use that time to learn the intended lesson and grow so that when the flow comes, I am able to see what the ebb was preparing me for.  Just as the ebb is dry, the flow is wet and when the flow comes, the lessons learned in the ebb are priceless.  That's when things all come together and we have those spirutal aha moments, and that is when God gets the glory!  When everything comes together and everything that God was teaching us in the trial clicks and we see God working things for our good...we should glorify His name and give Him honor, praise and ascribe majesty to Him.

So joy does indeed come in the morning.  Night might seem to last forever but as with anything else, night has a limit and must eventually give way to daylight.  If you are reading this and you are dealing with an issue or issues, ask this question: "What is God trying to teach me by allowing this situation?"  There is a lesson in every trial and every battle that will equip us to fight subsequent battles.  God knows exactly what He is doing and it requires faith on our part to trust that His plans for us are good (Jeremiah 29:11).  I thank Him for joy, His joy that no one can take away (John 16:22), His joy that is our stronghold (Nehemiah 8:10) and His joy that always comes after the night has passed.  God's grace be upon you.

Freshly Hewn Tombs

Revelation 6:16 "They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!"

Revelation's interpretation has been debated by scholars for years.  Some say that it only referred to 1st century Christians while others work themselves into a frenzy trying to decode what Revelation means to the modern day Christian.  One thing that cannot be debated is the fact that Jesus has not returned yet.  That is a fact and those of us that are saved eagerly await Him. 

With that being said, I write this as a Christian, a conspiracy theory buff and an observer and critic of popular culture.  I haven't blogged in about two weeks, but the other day I had a thought. The movie 2012 hinted at it and a show that I watched the other night on the security of the White House also touched this subject.  If you watch the show "Doomsday Preppers", you see people frantically planning for the day when they will have to "bug out".  What that means is when all you-know-what breaks loose i.e. the end of the world.  These people have thousands of pounds of non-perishables packed up, farms, livestock, biodiesel fueled vehicles, guns and bunkers ready for the day when the world ends.  They have obviously been prepping and not reading the Bible because no amount of resources will be able to stop Christ's return and his return signals an end to everything- there will not be a time to use those resources.

In keeping with this doomsday theme, Denver International Airport has underground shelters- the largest in the world (Denver Shelters) actually, but these probably won't be available to the average citizen.  Even the President has spent some time in these as a part of a drill in 2011 (President ordered to underground shelter).  There has been a lot of planning and resources that have gone into getting these shelters and bunkers ready in the event of nuclear war or some other calamity.  People are even trying to colonize space to get off this planet.  Although NASA is now defunct, the space industry is now controlled by independent billionaires that are developing newer vehicles for manned space flight and are offering trips to the moon for several millions of dollars.

The fact that there are people buying underground shelters and that the largest shelters just happen to be in one of the most mountainous regions of the country made me think of the scripture that opened this post.  Rich and elite people will flock to these shelters in that Great Day thinking that the shelters will provide an escape from impending doom.  What those shelters are, and what the shelters that Joe Blow has spent a pretty penny on getting it installed underground in his backyard, are simply freshly hewn tombs.  Being in a bunker or some type of shelter is the equivalent of being in a tomb; these hiders will have sealed their fates.  It's so ironic that as they seek to hide from "doomsday", this has already been prophesied in Revelation 6.  It's almost as if they are asking the mountains to fall on them and hide them.  I am sure that God will oblige them, but it is appointed unto man once to die and after that, the judgment (Hebrews 9:27)- from that, there is no escape.

There will not be away to escape the destruction that will come upon the earth at Christ's return.  There is no way around it.  Well...maybe there is a way to escape.  The way to escape the fiery fate of those that have dug their own tombs is this:  to actually get saved and be on the Lord's side when He returns!  If we are on His side, we will be rewarded according to our works here on earth rather than be judged and condemned for not accepting the free gift of God's grace.  Being on His side means being on the winning team in the cosmic battle of good and evil.  Yes, it might look like evil is winning but trust me, Jesus will set all things right.

Read it here, Revelation 19:11-16:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.  He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The return of the King is inevitable and imminent.  Although he left as a Lamb, He will return as a Lion.  No one will be able to withstand His coming, but those of us that are saved and that have trusted Him as our Savior will be invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb!  I don't know about you, but I want to be there.  Hold on until He comes.

What Shall I Render?

"Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and unto God that which belongs to God."  Jesus said this to a man seeking to entrap him with a trick question regarding paying taxes.  The man, looking for a reason to accuse Jesus asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to the Roman government.  Jesus, not seeking to cause an insurrection or arouse the suspicions of the government asked the man for a coin bearing the image of Caesar.  The story is recounted in Luke 20, Matthew 22 and Mark 12.

What is interesting here in the text is the question that Jesus asked.  After the man retrieved a coin, Jesus asked plainly, "whose image does it bear".  The image on the coin was that of Augustus Caesar, the Roman emperor of the time.  The word used for image is the exact same word used when we speak of the "image" of God.  Therefore, a great follow-up question would have been to ask, "what shall I render to God?"  If the coin that bore the image of Caesar was tribute to Caesar then is stands to reason that the man the bears the image of God belongs to God.

Ask the question, whose image is stamped on us?  It is the image of God.  The bible says in Genesis 1:26 that the Godhead said, "Let us make man in our image and in our likeness."  We are not little gods, we are human beings that carry the transitive properties of the Almighty God- the ability to love, to weep, to show compassion, to make decisions, etc.  It's important to note that although we bear God's image, God alone is God- there is no other.  Whatever we have comes from Him and any power that we have belongs to Him and is only used through us as the Holy Spirit wills.

Three things jump out of this text that can help us in 2013:

1. Ask God for a discerning spirit- Jesus discerned the scheme of the Jews that came to entrap Him and he turned the tables on them.  When he asked them the question, the pressure to answer was no longer on Him.

2. If God's image is stamped on us, we ought to reflect his glory in the world.  The bible says in Matthew 5:16 to let our lights shine among men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.  Are we glorifying image of Caesar (the world) or are we walking in the image of The Almighty God?  Jesus made the distinction clear in the text that Caesar was NOT God, Render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and to God that which belongs to God!  It did not say Render everything unto Caesar.  Tiberius Caesar called himself Augustus which means divine…BUT Jesus is saying that there is only ONE GOD!

3. We all have a Caesar:  Here Caesar represents the government, but in our lives, Caesar represents any oppressive force that stands in the way of our full obedience to God. Caesar represents anything that stands in the way of our relationship with God!  However, there is nothing here that states that we have to remain oppressed.  We don’t have to remain in bondage.  People followed Jesus because of the freedom that he afforded them…and WHO THE SON SETS FREE IS FREE INDEED!  Jesus destroys yokes of oppression, Jesus destroys the works of the enemy, and once we were dead in our transgressions but now we are alive in HIM!  Let 2013 be the year that we walk out of oppression and into the glorious light of life in the Son of God!  

In closing, let us ask again..."What shall I render unto God?"  If we are made in His image that means that we belong to Him.  Romans 12:1,2 tells us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.  Let us not hold anything back but give ourselves over to the service of the Almighty.  This is a charge to me, in particular.  I am still learning to trust God in ALL areas of my life.  No matter how many blog posts I write, never let it be said that I have it all together- nor will I ever claim to.  This is a marathon and at times, I get tired, I stray off the path and I screw up.  I am still learning to give myself completely to God.  Am I giving more of myself now than I did before, yes.  Do I still have work to do...absolutely!    In 2013, if there is any area of your life that you have not totally submitted to God, ask Him to help you to give it over to Him.  Let us all be in prayer for one another that we begin to obey God as never before.  It will be difficult, but through Christ, we can do all things as He supplies us with strength from on high.  May God bless you and Happy New Year!  God's grace, peace and prosperity be upon you in 2013.