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"The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see itwhen you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel itwhen you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the worldthat has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truth." (Morpheus)
UNDERSTANDING
THE MATRIX
Written and Compiled by David Allen Rivera (2008)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: Discovering
The Matrix
………………..……………………………..…………………2Chapter Two: The Call (Scenes 1-43)………………….…..…………………….….……………..…9Chapter Three: The Training and Equipping (Scenes 44-82)………………….………………….90Chapter Four: A Destiny Revealed (Scenes 84-220)……………………………………………..129Chapter Five: The Truth……………..………………………………………………………….……214Sources Consulted & Acknowledgements……………..…………….……………………….……229
All Scripture quotations are from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible
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CHAPTER ONEDISCOVERING
THE MATRIX
In 1999, Warner Bros. released a little movie called
The Matrix
. While most movies are made toentertain, and are fairly straight forward in their approach,
The Matrix
challenged its viewers.Incredibly unique was the fact that different people who saw it, had different interpretations of itsmeaning. For people to devote their time into discussing the "meaning" of a Hollywood movieillustrates the shear impact it has had. Few movies have been dissected like
The Matrix
. Thisbook considers the interpretations, the observations, the symbolism, and the spiritualsignificance of
The Matrix
, and puts it into perspective. Are you ready to discover the truthbehind
The Matrix
?FINDING A TREASUREI never saw
The Matrix
when it came out in 1999. This was a time when the pastor of our churchwas chastening the congregation (mostly the men) about going to R-rated movies, and rentingR-rated videos. Even though it wasn't something that I did a lot, I am an action movie kind of guy, and as you know, most action movies contain bad language, some sexual content, as wellas gratuitous violence. That actually began to change with the release of the R-rated
Braveheart
,
The Patriot
, and
Gladiator
, as well as the PG-13 rated
The Mask of Zorro
.
3
However, I understood the ramifications of what he was talking about, because as Christians,we need to guard ourselves as far as the things we allow in our minds. Just as "we are what weeat," the same holds true for the things that we watch and listen to. When you're hammering anail, and you slip and hit your thumb, what is the first word that comes out of your mouth? If it'sa four-letter word other than "ouch," then maybe you need to address the root of why thathappens. If you're not taking in things which contain bad language, then it's not in you to comeout. We are to have the "mind of Christ," and part of that is having the discernment to dwell onGodly things."But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishnessunto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that isspiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known themind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."(1 Corinthians2:14-16)I remember going through all of my videos, and asking the Lord about which ones I could keep,and which ones I should get rid of. And even though I didn't have a lot of videos which were"bad" per se, I felt led to get rid of most of them. Of course, one of the other things which hadcome into play here was the addiction to television. I began to realize that television can comebetween you and God. It can affect your ability to have an intimate relationship with Him. Whenyou spend an inordinate amount of time watching television and DVDs, as well as going to themovies, it can pull you away from things like reading and studying the Bible, and praying, whichare necessary for spiritual edification.So, when
The Matrix
came out, and I saw that it was rated-R, and I didn't even consider going tosee it.Fast forward to a year later– June of 2000. Our church ran a Bible School which wasadministered by Bill Anderson Ministries International, and we were having a graduation dinner for the students. Afterward, Rev. Anderson (pastor of the New Covenant Living Outreach Center in Sandusky, Michigan) gave an informal talk to encourage us. Surprisingly, he said that he hadseen
The Matrix
, and began outlining all of the parallels that illustrated a person's spiritualrebirth. Needless to say, we were quite surprised, because not only did he watch an R-ratedmovie, but he was using it for a sermon illustration. Well, in the next couple days, many of usran out to rent
The Matrix
.The first time I saw it, it didn't really hit me about what it represented. Probably– because I wasstill a bit apprehensive. My wife ended up renting it a couple times, but I actually only saw bitsand pieces of it. Each time I saw it, I began to see different things. It wasn't until after I saw thetelevision broadcast premiere on TNT, that the whole concept began to come together and gel.FROM PAPER TO THE SCREEN- THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS
The Matrix
was an idea developed by two brothers, Larry Wachowski (born in 1965) and AndyWachowski (born in 1967). Besides a liberal application of Biblical tradition, there were alsosome Buddhism (just as there was in Star Wars), Hinduism, and a hint of New Age. There aresome generous helpings from Lewis Carroll's
Alice in Wonderland
, science fiction classics like
Blade Runner
, the
Terminator
, and recent entries like
Dark City
, the 1998 futuristic thriller
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