"The Passion of the Christ"

"The passion of the Christ" from director Mel Gibson inspired many feelings in me as I watched. I have been a born again christian since the age of five. I was raised as a Pentecostal and I now attend a non-denominational church. I was brought near tears as I watched the brutality that Jesus must have endured as he was beaten by Roman soldiers. I was however confused and a little disturbed by all the demonic images and portrayals in this movie. Jesus was undoubtedly tempted by Satan in his 40 days in the wilderness, but this temptation in the garden of Gethsemane while he knelt to pray is not biblical, at least not in the King James version of the bible. Other images of childlike demons and the possible introduction of the anti-Christ were equally disturbing. I had to ask myself, why is this movie concentrating so much on the negativity of the crucifixion? The crucifixion marks the death of Jesus, but it brings the hope of eternal life to those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Even the thief at Jesus' side found salvation at the last minute from a plea for Jesus to save him. This is the reason that Satan went a little nuts when Christ finally gave up and commended his spirit into the hands of God the father. He knows that he lost the battle to drag many souls with him to hell when Jesus made the "ultimate sacrifice."

Until Christ made the ultimate sacrifice on Calvary it was necessary for Jews to sacrifice animals to save them from the fires and torment of Hell. After Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice and had his blood shed, animal sacrifice was no longer necessary. The animals had to be the best of their flocks or as God put it, "without spot or without blemish." Even Pontius Pilate claimed several times that he saw no cause of death in Jesus. He tried to avoid killing Jesus and even offered to free him. When the chief priests aroused the crowd to anger Pontius Pilate had no choice but to crucify Jesus because he was afraid of causing a riot. As he said Jesus was an innocent man and although Pontius Pilate didn't say it he was "without spot or blemish." This made him the perfect sacrifice for the salvation of all humanity.

The crucifixion, although it was the end of the life of Jesus is sad in a way, but it is not a cause for sadness; it is a cause for celebration. We no longer have to die because we were born into sin. Rather we can live forever now, because of this great sacrifice. As much as we should celebrate this event it is quite obvious that Satan was not amused. If you have seen this movie did you see all the instances where demons were involved? I saw at least two times where demons were introduced and I believe that the baby that Satan was holding while Christ was whipped may be the anti-Christ. If you look closely afer Jesus is hanging from the bridge and Judas is looking to one side, a demon appears and quickly departs. After this the children that chase Judas also appear to be demons and are joined by Satan before Judas hangs himself. All these images combined with the baby in Satan's arms leave me just a little disturbed.

What about the other side of the equation? If Satan was angry when Jesus died, weren't the angels in heaven equally happy that Jesus was coming home? This was a very powerful and moving movie and although it was very biblical in nature I still find it to be very one sided. To balance out all the Satanic images in this movie I wish there could have been just a few angelic images. I believe if Satan was at the crucifixion, angels must have been there too. Although invisible to everyone, I believe that every saint of God is carried to heaven by his guardian angel from Earth. There must have been angels waiting for Jesus in much the same way. The following bible versus taken from the King James version of the bible support the presence of angels in this part of history. (Matthew 28:1-8, Luke 24:43, Luke 24:4-9, Mark 16:1-11, although the last two do not specifically mention angels.) I wanted to travel to LA to attend the Brooks institute of photography for film school but my financial aid fell through. I believe that I have the vision to make great movies like this just a little better. I also firmly believe that with movies like this and "Hell Boy" that the battle lines for the battle of Armageddon are being drawn.

Not only were there angels present to witness the resurrection of Christ, but also several women. The following scriptures mention two or more women who were the first on the scene at the empty tomb of Christ. (Mark 16:1-11, Luke 24:10) As humans we are often not convinced just by faith, sometimes we need to see the results of God's works with our own eyes. Your faith is that much more meaningful if you believe without seeing any results. I will admit that there are times when I pray and start to doubt because I don't see results right away. God has a plan for all of his children and you have to wait for him to give you what he has in store for you in his time. You never know, today may be your last day on earth and you won't need anything tomorrow. For just as "no man knows the hour that the son of man cometh," no man knows his own appointed hour to meet his maker.

Concentration on what is happening today, forgetting the past, and letting God handle your future is the key to a happy life. I know this but why can't I live up to it. I am a 37 y/o man still living with my parents. I chose a path of servitude to my fellow man that is leading me to poverty. I'm a trained Emergency Medical Technician(E.M.T.) and with this job comes the responsibility of having lives in your hands. You have all the responsibility but none of the money that should accompany this responsibility. Because of this, I decided to go back to school. I'm now working on my Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a focus in Computer Systems Technology. If I wasn't human I would just let God take control and keep me through my tough times. As a human I have to wonder what will become of me after my parents are gone if I don't find a career instead of these low wage "jobs." If Satan was present to tempt Jesus in the garden at Gethsemane, it is typical of the doubts that all of us have about ourselves on a daily basis. Is it possible to live in the day and not fear the mistakes of our past or dread what the future may hold? The answer is Yes if you are a born again believer. What we have on earth is nothing compared to what we will have in heaven.

In Matthew 5:5, part of the beatitudes, Jesus says that the meek will inherit the Earth. Is he talking about the present Earth or Earth after we die? Revelation 21:1,2 makes a reference to a new heaven and a new earth and although I can't find it I know there is a reference in the bible to heaven coming down to Earth. I believe that this is what Jesus refers to when he says "the meek will inherit the Earth." I had time during good Friday to read all the accounts of Jesus' crucifixion and what is written here is my interpretation. I would encourage everyone to read about the life and death of Jesus in the first four books of the New Testament, known as the four gospels. Don't rely on me or any other human to interpret for you. Each person must make his/her own choices when it comes to faith because when we die we will answer to our creator for the choice we make.

Hollywood is the medium to allow the images of demons to be shown to desensitise people to the horrible sight of them. In the tribulation period before the battle of Armageddon, Satan, the anti-Christ, and his demons will freely rule and roam the Earth for 10,000 years. I am a pre-trib believer. This means that I believe Christ will return in the clouds as promised to the jewish high priest before the tribulation begins. You must pick a side. Either you are on the side of Jesus or you are on the side of Satan. Just be aware that if you are on the side of Satan you are on the losing team. Be alert to the "signs of the times" as referenced in the following verses. (Matthew 24:3-36, Mark 13:4-33, and Luke 21:7-36) Jesus is coming back soon! You have very little time to choose a side, so choose carefully!

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