Elysium - A Sci-Fi Parable Connects With the Greatest Story Ever Conceived

As I opened Time magazine in the morning to read an article about the mysterious death of bees, I landed on a review about the movie Elysium by 'accident'. Since the report was not very positive and pointed out a lack of depth in the story, I was not planning to watch it. Yet something about the story stirred my interest.

It turned out to be quite rainy, so my friend and I found ourselves in a cinema later that day, looking at movie options. Elysium was the one we could both agree on (it took a little convincing from my side), and it was one of the few movies which played at the right time for our spontaneous visit. Later we discovered the R-rated aspect of this movie - something we do not endorse or enjoy, but are learning to filter out.

The main character Max (Matt Damon) grows up without his parents, searching for his identity and purpose in life. His dream is to travel to the space station Elysium one day, which is very much like a paradise compared to the living conditions of the people on earth in 2154. A catholic nun in his foster home points out the earth looks much more amazing from space than Elysium does from earth. This is another important hint to Max' purpose in life.

The movie producers seem to intend to point out the difference between rich and poor, as well as the potential for this to intensify in the future. Even though this is a very important topic in our time that requires the attention and contribution of everyone in our society, the story has another layer which may or may not have been intended by the author of the script. My friend was the first of us to catch this.

At a certain point Max finds out he has to give his life in order to save the life of his friend's daughter and to purchase healing and restoration for all inhabitants of earth. This makes him a picture of Jesus, who gave his life to restore us to our original place in creation. He brought us back into fellowship with our most amazing father in heaven and into eternal well-being for our body, soul, and spirit.

What is your specific purpose and destiny in life? To me the movie confirmed my call to be a part of restoring people to a life in fellowship with God, as well as to bring help and healing to those who are less fortunate than most people in our western nations.

Why do we have so many movies in our time with stories similar to the gospel message of the Bible? Could the Lord be preparing the hearts and spirits of the nations to hear and become a part of the most amazing story in the universe? I believe he is and I look forward with excitement to what's ahead of us.

Avatar - The Message Goes Deeper And Deeper

After watching Avatar I could not shake sense there was an important message contained in this movie. Even before I went to the cinema, I could see slight internal visions of the movie I was about to see. This is an indication of the excitement the Holy Spirit has for this movie, I believe.

The majority of the humans living in Pandora did not have a clue of the true treature which was available to them in the new world. Jake was able to experience a new way to live, something all human beings are truly seeking for but most do not know how to find it. The limitations which came from his disability helped him to develop a desire and exitement for living in the new world.

The leading scientist Grace was fascinated by the new world, as well. She was hungry and thirsty to discover its deepest secrets and help others with her research results. This is a picture of the scribes from Jesus' lifetime. They were attentive students of history and had a passion to bring out of the treasure of their discoveries both new and old things, in order to bless other people with the depth of a long-term perspective of history and the workings of God.

The attitude of the people and the organization who just wanted to plunder a valuable mineral from the planet represents the attitude of many Christians in our generation. Many of us just want to take and receive things from God which help us to live a luxurious live here on Earth without a true perspective of long-term or eternal living. The majority of us does not understand yet that we first need to get used to live in the new realm, the kingdom of heaven we have been born in, before we can bring back true change to the Earth. It does not make sense if we try to rob God, he wants to give us anything freely anyway. Everything that belongs to him belongs to us, because we are part of his family. Rather than giving us all of the treasures of heaven God is more concerned for us to learn his way of living. His ways enable us to truly enjoy live on the earth, in the kingdom and on other planets in this universe or beyond.

The home tree in the movie is a picture of the tree of life in the garden of Eden. The mountains or rocks which were floating supernaturally in the sky symbolize Jesus who is our rock. This rock followed the Israelites in the desert, supernaturally.

One of the most interesting things is how the movie helps people to understand why it can be a good idea to execute judgement on mankind in response to their actions. Most people would be supporting the inhabitants of Pandora when they fight against the humans.

Lola rennt - Run Lola Run

This is a German movie, but can also be watched with English subtitles. Since it ranks among the top 100 movies of world cinema*, it became known internationally quite a bit.

After finding out that dishonoring her father did not bring the desired success in the 2nd run, Lola goes for an entirely different approach and prays to God. The Casino which pops up next seems to be a sign to her and she wins more than the required 100,000 DM by betting two times on the number 20 (although she has less than 20 minutes left at that time). As she is about to win a second time with this number, she seems to be travailing as she gives birth to the answer of her prayer on the earth. This travailing of the body of Christ will cause the thin artificial separations (glas) to shatter, which are limiting the free flow and moving of the Holy Spirit.

By the time she won the amount in the Casino, Manni had already gotten most of his 100,000 back from the beggar who had taken it in the beginning of the movie. Since the Lord new this beforehand, why did he cause Lola to win in the Casino nevertheless? That would cause the couple to receive far more money than they need! This is the message for Germany and beyond:

Can you see how good the Lord is, how much he loves you? He desires to bless you in all areas of your life far more than you can think or imagine. He even gives prophetic people like Bobby Conner permission to try to exaggerate his goodness. I believe we have that permission, as well. Try to exaggerate the goodness of God in your life, as well as the lives of other people, and see how far you can get to the truth.

This movie plays in Berlin, which is the heart of Germany, both historically and politically. It is most important that we receive a deep revelation about the goodness of God in our heart. He is so good that he gave the best he owned for you as a sacrifice.

* http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=86