Sunday, February 24, 2008

The Red Pill of the Blue Pill?


I watched part of the movie, The Matrix, last night on TV. I've seen it a couple of times before, but it never ceases to affect me in a deeply spiritual way. I'm not a science fiction fan, but this movie is such a strong allegory for spritual warfare that it cannot be ignored. I have no idea if the writers of the movie intended it to be this way or not. If you haven't seen it, the storyline goes that mankind has been captured by an evil, intelligent computer system and is using us as food to power their machines. To keep mankind passive, they have created a virtual world much like our modern day life and they are feeding this illusion into our minds while in reality we exist in prison cells in a commotose state. Some humans have escaped from their prison and are fighting these machines while trying to awaken the other humans who go about their lives in this fake reality. There is a prophesied "messiah" who is supposed to come and save all of mankind (Sound familiar) and at the beginning of the story, the prophet offers him a choice. The blue pill or the red pill. If he takes the blue pill, he will go on with his life, living in blissful ignorance. If he takes the red pill, he will wake up and see the truth of where he truly is--in a prison cell and after escaping, he will face hardship and war. The disccusion between the prophet (Morpheus) and the messiah (Neo) when he offers this choice is quite astounding if you listen from a Christian Perspective. He tells Neo that he knows that Neo has "felt" that there is something wrong with the world. That things are not as they should be. Have you ever felt that way about our world? I have, and I did even before I got saved. Then he offers him the choice.

This world is just a shadow of reality. It is a nebulous haze that is ruled by an evil, intelligent being called Satan who enslaves everyone of us and then tries to trick us and deceive us into thinking everything is fine. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that we see now through a glass darkly, and in Ephesians that that there is a whole world we do not see filled with demons, and principalities and powers, and angels in the heavenly realms. There is a battle going on right over your head and even around you, but you can't see it. Paul tells us that this world is nothing compared to the glory that is to come and that we should keep our eyes not on what we see, but on what we do not see. For what we see is temporary, but what we do not see is eternal.

Everyone in this world is confronted with a choice. Will you receive the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for you and take the red pill and have your spiritual eyes opened? or you will reject the offer, take the bule pill and live out your days serving yourself and loving your own ignorance.

The choice is yours.

And like Mopheus said, if you take the red pill, you are in for the ride of your life!

2 comments:

  1. I choose the red pill! There is still so much God has to teach me, but I'm ready for the ride of my life. I'm sick of pretending everything is fine:).
    I've never watched 'The Matrix' but I'll have to do that now...sounds interesting!

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