Rev. Steve Sanchez

Rev. Steve Sanchez
Swedenborgian Minister

Sunday, January 18, 2015

The Movie Trilogy 'The Matrix' Provides the Greatest Representaion of the Glorification Process of all Movies


The theme of the glorification I think is hinted at in many movies at the end when they show the hero or situation fading into pure light as in ‘Platoon’: the hero in a  helicopter fades into the pure light of the sun as the voice-over submits to seeking goodness; in ‘The Peaceful Warrior’ the master passes away by turning into pure light. But this is pretty remote from the real thing. The common way the glorification is represented is by the superhuman feats the hero performs to save humanity; as in the matrix when Neo saves trinity by hanging on to the cable from a falling helicopter trusting she will cut it and hang on; or in the Avengers when Iron Man swoops in and carries the atom bomb into the heart of the enemy ship and thereby saves the world; or when superman saves several men from certain death when he walks through fire and holds up an enormous tower while men are saved in a helicopter; and many, many others. This is glorious because the one has the skill and awareness to perform the feat that saves the world. The theme of superhuman powers is most like the glorification when it is combined with the willingness to sacrifice one’s life for others. But there is much more to the process of the glorification that the Lord went through and there are only a few movies I know of that depict greater particulars of the glorification.
A specific way the glorification process is represented is by the hero having the the power to enter the heart of the enemies abode when this seems the most impossible thing to do, but by doing it he destroys the evil forces from within. Superman does this when (he does what no other man possible could) and enters the power beam from the world engine that is transforming earth into Kripton. With incredible determination superman flies up through the heart of the beam - withstanding its massive force, and begins to move upward. He strains higher and higher into the light until he reaches the world engine and destroys it. When it is done the captain of the army is shown saying, “He did it”, which compares to Jesus saying, “It is finished”. (Similarly in the Matrix when Neo has finally destroyed Smith, the leader of the Machine world says, “It is done”). In the Bible these words signify Jesus accomplishing the glorification. Superman is then shown in a peaceful colorful scene laying down with the rays of the sun on him and he reaches to the pure light of the sun, which is something many movies do with the sun. One of the reasons this is so meaningful and powerful is that Jesus is the divine human in the midst of the spiritual sun in the spiritual world, and from it provides life for all living things. In the transfiguration and other places the Lord is described as shining like the sun.
Though to a lesser extent, the new version of  ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ exemplifies this theme when ‘the one who can save the world’ (Keanu Reeves) becomes convinced of the goodness in humanity and fights his way against the swarm into the heart of the alien mothers hip. He is shown fading into pure light, and the swarm recedes and leaves.
The movie that represents some of the details of the process of the glorification the greatest is the Matrix. There are several movies that portray the theme of prophecies about the one who will deliver the people from darkness. Prophecies are an important part of the Glorification. In the Matrix the theme of prophecy is essential and well developed. ‘The one’ is defined by the fact that they are the one who can and does fulfill the prophecies. Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies told about him in the Old Testament. Simply put, prophecy is divine truth from God, and He who fulfills prophecy is from God and as he gradually accomplishes each fulfillment he comes into oneness with God. The Lords process was not a forgone conclusion, which is a common misconception; it was an enormous battle and struggle in doubt from moment to moment. He fulfills all of these in the New testament gospels, and when he fulfills the last temptation on the cross He says, “It is finished”, meaning that He made his human body divine and returned to oneness with the father, which is the culmination of the glorification. In the first movie Neo’s status as the one is constantly in doubt but he gradually performs the deeds as no-one but the divine can. His status as the one is confirmed when he resurrects from the dead and has exponentially greater powers then even the agents.
Then at the end of the trilogy, Neo travels into the heart of the evil realm of the machines. As he is walking closer to face the power center of the machines, the picture switches between a realistic view of metal walkways, scrambling insect machines, grey cables and such – to Neo’s inner vision, which is burning light that depicts perceiving and entering the internal of all things. He transcends the power of the machines, and does what they and no-one else can. He gives himself up, and trusting in the truth he persuades the machines to allow him to do battle with the evil agents by himself. He has a royal battle with the evil agents, and defeats them by the power of his light and truth. This represents Jesus decent to hell where he defeats all evil forces and releases the captives. All of these events are allegories of the Glorification.
One of the reasons the matrix is the greatest representation of the glorification is that at the end of the battle between Neo and the agent the agent presses his hand into Neo and he is consumed in blackness (hereditary evil). This is the moment Neo was waiting for: for he then enters the power of hereditary evil that has extension into everything and defeats it with the greatest power in the universe that he embodies – Divine love and truth. Neo is then shown in the machine city laying in the cross position, in pure burning light, and the machine voice says, “It is finished” just as Jesus says when he has accomplished the glorification. This corresponds to Jesus purifying his body of all hereditary evil, subjugating all the forces of evil, and especially expanding his presence infinitely by entering the natural level of reality, that is, the innermost of all things in all the universe. In this way they both renewed all things of heaven and earth. Jesus, by His supreme act of love and skill made His human body divine, merging it with the divine of God. Neo also did these things by his might alone: he redeemed all of Zion, and released all the captives that were held so long in the pods. This release is confirmed at the end of the movie where the Oracle asks the Architect if he will release all the people in the pods, and he says, “What do you think I am – Human”.

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