Previously, we did a review of the first part of the
Revelation Road movie. And when I say
that it was the first part in this movie, that’s really what I mean. This is a movie in two parts, not two separate
movies with the same characters. I just
don’t want you to be disappointed when you reach the end of Part 1 and it
doesn’t end.
Part 1, you will remember, was about this salesman who
enters into the most unfriendly town ever (both because of the criminals and
also the annoying Christians). Some
bikers try to kill him, and he suddenly reveals that he is some awesome Jack
Bauer-like kung fu beast and kills them all.
It was actually pretty cool. I
very much enjoyed the movie, except the “Christian” parts of it, which were
almost all bad.
The first part ended with the rapture, which had been
building up for hours in a massive electrical storm, then ended with the
Christians glowing for several minutes, then being fried into a pile of ash.
Then Jesus appeared beside a road and was hiding from
everyone. Because that’s what He does
according to Dispensationalism – comes back and hides.
So let’s get to this one!
Story (spoiler
warning: this section only)
Like the first one, I really enjoyed all the parts that were
not “Christian.” I like the main
character a lot, and some of the fight scenes were really cool. Turns out, the main character is a super
solider, almost exactly like Captain America, who was injected with a bunch of
stuff to make him awesome. He was
trained to have no emotions, no fear.
Codename: Achilles. (Side note –
if you actually read The Iliad, you
will realize that this is the worst codename ever for a soldier who is supposed
to be emotionless.)
And that’s why Jesus needs him, apparently. No, literally, Jesus says He needs this guy
to be a warrior in the Tribulation. So
yes, this series of movies is intended to be a post-apocalyptic superhero tale.
Okay, I’m onboard for that.
Except that it appears that the character is some sort of pacifist by
the end, so I’m not sure how awesome he’s going to continue to be. I may just stick with 24.
The Rapture
The opening narration states that the Bible says that there
will be a rapture and then a period of tribulation. No verses are quoted. Why?
Because it’s not in there. A lot
of people assume it’s there, but it’s
not.
Dispensational theology was developed in the 1800s and made
popular soon thereafter by a couple of occurrences: First, the Scofield Study Bible, which was
very popular and useable, which helped spread the teaching; second, from Dallas
Theological Seminary, who was producing very skilled teachers.
So the system of belief caught on like wildfire, and has
since been promoted in many end-times books and movies such as this one and Left Behind, mainly because the system
is exciting. The historic beliefs of the
church are not nearly as filmable. You
know, Jesus comes back and that’s it. It
wouldn’t make for a really thrilling film.
But the idea of a secret rapture of the church, to be
followed by a period of tribulation for those left behind is not found in
Scripture. As with the post I did for
the first part of this movie, I would direct you to Kim Riddlebarger’s lectures (look halfway down the page and to the right). Those lectures address the topic much more
thoroughly than I could here.
More than that, this movie is even inconsistent with the way
it portrays the rapture. There is a
recording of a sermon played later in the movie that warns us not to look for
signs in the sky of His coming, but that it will happen in the blink of an eye.
Well, the way the movie portrays it, it will happen very
slowly, with a giant electrical storm preceding it for several hours. So you really should look to the sky for
signs, because the electrical storm that covers everything is a sure giveaway!
Annoying Christians
Most of the Christian characters are gone by the second
part, of course, but we do rewind time a little to see that the sheriff’s
sister is taken away. And here we have
yet another annoying Christian, but this one is somehow more offensive, because
she clearly sees what is going on several minutes before she is taken away, and
yet instead of witnessing to her family (right beside her at the time), she
just basks in her own glory for a while.
Less annoying, but still frustrating, is the “post-rapture
recording” left for those who are left.
This same thing happens in Left
Behind, that a pastor records something to be played after the rapture
happens to explain what has occurred.
If any of you are doing something like this, please cut it
out. Just stop. You’re wasting precious time on something
that is completely unbiblical. If you
want to witness, please do. To people
who are around today. You know, the ones
around before Jesus returns. When Jesus
comes back, it’ll be too late for the lost.
It’s not the beginning of a period of tribulation – it’s the judgment of
the living and the dead.
Recording a video witnessing to people who are guaranteed to
never see it is, well, just sad.
The Gospel
presentation
Both parts of this movie have this approach to witnessing
that says that “Jesus is your bridge.”
It’s such a strange and unbiblical statement, and it doesn’t make a lot
of sense. Do they mean that I can do a
lot of good, but I need Jesus to create a way so that I can walk the rest of
the way to life? Well, that’s pretty
close to Pelagianism, which is a heresy.
I don’t think that’s what they mean,
but the statement is so vague and meaningless that I’m really wondering
what the lost person hears when someone tells him something like that. It certainly does not communicate the truth
of the Gospel.
The fact is, we’re not good enough. We can never get so close that we merely need
Jesus to hold our hand while we walk the rest of the way. We are dead in trespasses and sin. No one is righteous, so one seeks after
God. We are slaves to sin.
We need Him to give us life, not make us a bridge so that we
can walk farther. We need Him to save
us, not make a way that we can save ourselves.
I don’t think the filmmakers here are being intentionally
dismissive of the Gospel, but it does seem like they are very ignorant of what
our actual condition is before God.
Either that, or they are using the philosophies of men to try to present
the Gospel in the most attractive way, but that’s not our job. It’s the Spirit’s job to apply the Gospel to
the heart; our job is to proclaim it.
And how sad too, because the main character, as run down and
guilt-ridden as he is in the movie, may have welcomed the good news of
Scripture more than the “just keep walking and trust Jesus to be your bridge”
type of approach. His sacrifice washes
away our sin. It doesn’t give us a
second chance – it accomplishes righteousness for us.
Overall
A fun movie, but not one I would want to look to for
theology or anything like that. It’s not
one I would show my lost friends as a witnessing tool.
