MIKE’S MOVIE MEDITATIONS:
THE AVENGERS
By: Michael J. Sullivan
Introduction:
Many go to movies and just want to be entertained and don’t think much about the message of the movie – or if it even has one. Granted some do and others can be a bit mindless. But everyone has a worldview or philosophy which guides their thinking – this includes comic and movie writers. These messages come through subtly or not so subtly. I have been toying with the concept of adding a movie review link on TLM since I watch so many movies and so here is my first official — “movie review.” “Mike’s Movie Meditations” will be my version of a movie review from a Christian (Calvinst & Full Preterist) perspective. As Christians we are called to place our culture/society and it’s often times vain imaginations/philosophies under the authority of Christ (or put them in a worldview that makes sense) and therefore I was interested in the main themes and plot of this movie which I saw as being:
· The conflict over the tesseract (which results in “THE war [Armageddon]) – which is another worldly/from another dimension cube that serves as an infinite source of power – and learning how to harness and use it’s power in the proper way.
· It takes humility and working together as a team – to utilize our gifts to their maximum capacity which will result in inward and outward victory over dark forces. Unlike the movie however, we need the REAL perfect CUBE of (Rev. 21:16) of God’s presence and the preaching and gifts of the Church (1 Cor. 12) to achieve this!
The Tesseract Cube v. The Most Holy Place
The Tesseract & Conflict
Loki/Anti-Christ/Satan — In the movie Loki is an evil man (who is functioning as the Anti-Christ/Satan) seeking to enslave the human race and usher in “THE war.” But in order to do this he knows he has to take out man’s best first – the Avengers (“humanities best” – which in reality is the Church). If he can fill them with pride and “divide and conquer,” then he knows the rest of his mission will be easy.
Loki has a spear that has the ability to blind the heart and eyes of man to do his will. There is a point in Germany where he has a crowd bow before him and states something to the effect that this is “Humans natural state – you all WANT to be ruled.” He mentions that “freedom” is pretty much a myth and not what we were created for. In a sense this is true. We were not created to live autonomously – we were created to submit to God. And in a sense there is only ONE who is truly free – and that is God.
Ultimately it is predicted that Loki will never win because his heart is not right and thus the power/presence of the tesseract will not be compatible with his prideful heart.
A time of seeking to divide and persecute the Avengers/The Church before “THE war” takes place — in the Bible is referring to the tribulation period and war between apostate Israel and Rome covering roughly the years between AD 62-AD 70.
Unfortunately there seems to be some bad Mormon theology thrown in here. Thor I suppose is supposed to represent Jesus (a man/deity of sorts) and Loki is his “brother.” Of course in Mormon theology Jesus and Satan are brothers and Jesus is not fully God. Thor’s weapon is his “hammer” which reminds me of “Is not My word like a …hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jer. 23:29). Truly it was through the Word of God and imprecatory prayers (contained in the Law and Prophets) whereby Jesus (and then the Church) defeated and “crushed” Satan “shortly” in AD 70 (Matt. 4:1-17; Rev. 6:10-11; 11:3-19; 12:8-12; Rom. 16:20).
The Most Holy Place & Conflict
The War of the Covenantal Worlds — In the OT under the Old Covenant, the Tabernacle/Temple had two compartments: 1) The Holy Place (a rectangle forty cubits long and 20 cubits wide) and 2) The Most Holy Place (a perfect squared cube 20 cubits long and wide). This is where Israel’s true source of power over the Devil and the Nations came from – God’s presence! The High Priest had to travel through both sections once a year in order to go into God’s presence to make atonement for Israel – and thus temporarily cover their sins until Messiah would come.
Israel was tested for 40 days through 12 spies who were sent to see what God’s Promised Land looked like and who were currently residing in it. But 10 of the spies gave a bad/fearful report that the land was filled with powerful giants and that it pretty much would be a suicide mission – not believing God’s Word. Only Joshua and Caleb stood forth and assured the people that if they would abide in the Word of their ultimate power source (Jehovah), they could do the seemingly impossible. The people did not humble themselves or put their faith in God, thus they wandered the wilderness for 40 years before they could enter the land.
Under the Old Covenant Satan worked through the law and was able to produce pride and self-righteousness in God’s people and thus instead she never became that city on a hill that produced salvation for the Gentile world.
Between roughly AD 30 – AD 70 the two Old and New covenantal ages/worlds were overlapping – with one passing away “ready to vanish” while the glory of New was exceeding and was “about to” arrive and be revealed in all of her glory (2 Cor. 3-4; Heb. 8:13; 13:14YLT; Rom. 8:18YLT). The Old Covenant was compared to the Holy Place, while the New Covenant was compared to the Most Holy Place (Heb. 9:8-10)..
During this time Satan was allowed to blind the hearts and minds of Israel and work through the Romans as well (the land and sea beasts in the book of Revelation) to try and conquer the Church, but Satan would be defeated shortly (Rev. 12:8-12; Rom. 16:20). Old Covenant Jerusalem was “Babylon” the “Great City” whom had crucified Christ and in whom was found the blood of the righteous —- but God through the prayers of the saints (the true “Avengers”) was about to avenge this blood shortly and in their “this generation” (Rev. 11:8; Rev. 6:10-11; Rev.18; Matt. 23:31-38).
Under the New Covenant, God’s people/the Church or Bride – the “City of the Living God” or “Heavenly” or “New Jerusalem” is that perfect cube that serves as the nations unlimited power source — which came down from heaven and purged and filled the hearts and minds of God’s people in a very “soon” AD 70 time frame (Heb. 9:7-10; 10:37; 12:22-23ff.; 13:14YLT; Rev. 21:2ff. — but primary emphasis on v. 16, “the city was laid out like a SQUARE…;” 22:6-7, 10-12, 20). In AD 70 the first transitionary compartment leading into God’s presence is done away and the Church now abides in the Most Holy Place – God’s presence beholding his face (Rev. 21:16; 22:4). Here, it is said that God and the Lamb function as the “unlimited power source” (so to speak) or the Sun/Son of the City/Cube in which there is never any night and the gates are never shut with an invitation of the nations to walk in Her light in order to receive healing (Rev. 21:23-26; 22:2-5; 17). This is what is taking place today after Christ has come and we are currently in the New Covenant “age to come.”
Unlike the end of the movie, in which the cube was taken up and away from man; in Biblical theology the cube came down from heaven to earth in AD 70 at Christ’s parousia and has clothed the Church in the here and NOW with His glory, power and righteousness — to serve as the light and power source for man to walk in. Unlike the movie, we NEED the cube to function as a team – and we cannot be successful without it. A “plan b” in reliance upon our selves will not work.
Becoming a Superhero
Many Jews of Jesus’ day thought they were God’s children because they were assuming to know and walk with God in the light of His Law/Tora. But Jesus rebuked them saying that in studying the Word they thought they had life, but the Word actually pointed to Him – whom they hated and rejected. Why? Because Jesus/the Power Source exposed their darkness and pride, thus they could not partake of him due to their dark hearts.
So you walked out of theater thinking that in some way you are a superhero – come on admit it? Many of you boasted within yourself how strong you are or how much you could bench press and couldn’t wait to hit the gym the next day. Others were proud of your academic and financial accomplishments.
But the truth of the matter is, it is only when you come to the end of yourself or die to yourself, can you truly find true life in the SUN/SON. You are welcome to join the True Avengers. When we abide in Christ in humility and function as ONE body (1 Cor. 12), there isn’t anything we can’t accomplish. The world will blame you for her problems, but when they truly need help to fight the battles or solve the problems they can’t – THEY WILL CALL ON YOU AND THE UNLIMITED POWER SOURCE THAT THEY KNOW COMES THROUGH YOU! As David proclaimed that through God he could leap over a wall and run through a troop. He will train your hands for war — He will teach and show you how to overcome the giants within you (pride, insecurities and fears), and in those who mock your God in our culture. What are you REALLY made of, and in what or who’s power source do you abide? As for me, if I die biologically or continue to live in this life, I will “never die” (John 11:25-26). There is no greater power or super gift that could be given to us that could surpass the gift of “eternal life” — Selah.
Accept it or not, this is something far beyond anything you could ask, think or imagine. It’s not about wishing you were 7 feet tall having a vertical of 45 inches playing in the NBA, or imagining you were a Marvel superhero etc… It’s all about if you are IN CHRIST/THE CUBE OR OUTSIDE CHRIST/THE CUBE (Rev. 21-22) – and that’s just a prayer away.
Traces of Preterism/Truth in the Movie?
Well, kind of sort of. In Biblical theology after “the time of the end” (not “the end of time”) encompassing the Great Tribulation/persection and “THE war” (roughly between AD 66-70), there was no literal rapture and it was not followed by a New Creation in which everything is perfect. Some of these concepts come from newspaper “theologians,” not Biblical ones! According Isaiah 65-66/Rev. 21-22 there is still sin, sinners, and evangelism taking place within the New Creation. So when the movie ends with the world knowing that when the chips are down and there is nowhere to go, she knows she can always count on the Avengers (“humanities best”) — the Church — this is accurate. Even in the movie, the world knows that no one in this world or other worlds/dimensions has the power to overcome the Avengers/The Church, because of what was performed through them in “THE war.” If Satan and his demonic hordes working through apostate Israel and the Romans couldn’t overcome the Church, no one ever will — Selah.