February 29, 2004

Last night I went with my wife to experience the film The Passion of the Christ. It was to be the first time I ever viewed an “R” rated film, and I did not know what to expect. After much early uncertainty about going to see it, I finally determined it necessary from the Lord to do so. We went, prepared to walk out if required, but did not. We both prayed in the spirit throughout the duration of the movie. My wife shut her eyes through much of it. I did not (except for one very brief—10 second—gory scene I felt superfluous to the story.) After the film ended, I did not speak for at least an hour and still 12 hours later find myself deeply pensive and silent within.

While the impact of the film remains fresh with me, I am moved to share with my readers my reflections and impressions from the Lord regarding what I saw. They are as follows:

Personal Reflections

1. First and foremost, experiencing this film reinforced for me why my life is built on a spirit of no-nonsense sobriety. Witnessing the most graphic presentation of Christ’s passion ever portrayed totally arrests your sense of value and judges your attitude concerning life—especially if you are a “believer.” If before seeing this film I had no time for spiritual foolishness, I have even less now. And if I’ve been tempted before by well-meaning but mouthier friends who say I need to “lighten up, let my hair down and take life less seriously,” I am not so tempted any longer. In opposition, my prayer is that this film might instead arrest the loose spiritual levity, foolish talk and immaturity of the many “believers” who have and will see it.
   
   
2. I watched this film more from the perspective of an emulating disciple than a forgiven sinner. (From the perspective of a forgiven sinner, I’ve become persuaded it’s just not possible to fathom what Jesus endured for my portion of earth’s sin-debt load, no matter how good a portrayal I might see of it.) From the view of a life-long weather-beaten disciple, I’ve always felt—and the film confirmed for me this feeling—that our Lord required a superhuman indwelling Life force to endure all that was done to Him, that no mortal human possessing mere natural life could have survived the scourging applied to the Lord (let alone carry a cross afterward), and that nothing I have ever endured or will endure as a mortal disciple of the Lord could even come close to what He endured. At one point, as he fell yet again, only to get back up on His feet, my heart could only exclaim in awe—“What a man, what a God!”
   
   
3. No film, no mortal actor, has yet succeeded in portraying the majestic authoritativeness with which the Lord uttered every Word. The Lord retained a poise and command of visage throughout His life and final ordeal that I believe no human actor has ever captured or possibly ever could. There is a resonation in the voice of Jesus of Nazareth that was unique and could not be duplicated. This is the Voice of Psalm 29 that uttered the creation into existence, the Voice that stilled a storm, the Voice of which all people said “no man ever spoke like this man,” the Voice that all the clever devils from satan to the lawyers to Caiphas to Herod to Pilate could not confound or up-end. And it’s the Voice that today gives new birth and new identity to you and to me. And it is a Voice that for all the church has undertaken in 2,000 years to grow up into it, still has not.
   

Impressions From the Lord

- The Lamb About to Move

This morning, as I awoke, I could only hear the cry of Revelation 7, “Worthy IS the Lamb that was slain...” It is a cry that is uttered now at this present hour. As I heard it, I realized from the Lord that this movie is not about a past event. It is not just another re-telling of an “old, old story.” It is a present Word from the One Who sits on the Throne. Specifically, the Word is this:

The Lamb Who was slain—and IS—and IS TO COME—is ready to exercise His full right to the title deed of earth already won. The Lamb you saw in this film IS the Lamb still, He is on the Throne, and this film is His Announcement to—not just this nation—but to all the “Gentile” and “Jewish” earth alike—to all mankind—that He, the Lamb, is ready to exercise His authority and to require the accounting of all the earth’s inhabitants.

This film is a last call of some nature before a seismic event that is about to happen in the earth. I do not know what this event will be. I only know that whatever it is, it will radically alter the balance of earth life such that things will be measured according to whether they happened before or after the day of that event. It will be a sudden and shocking event. The entire world will be affected by it.

This film comes in juxtaposition to the present massive casting off of restraint regarding gay marriage. Pressure between the Law of God and the base lawlessness of homosexuality has been building to a breaking point for some years now and is ready to burst. This film is a present Word regarding the coming of the Lamb and His authority relative to that pressure. It is a prophetic Word beyond the scope of the intent of any of its creators and in spite of its flaws.

In November, on the night of the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling regarding gay marriage, the Lord said to me. “The door of the ark is closing.” This film is a reinforcement of that Word, and it is specifically a call to any and all who can hear it to submit to the Lamb Who, in paying for the sins of the world, IS in present possession of earth’s title deed and is about to exercise His authority to that deed in a new way, one which will not be pleasant.

- Abrahamic Intercession

Shortly before the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord and two angels visited Abraham. I perceive this morning from the Lord that in a remaining window of opportunity created by the awareness in this film, the Lord is calling for “final bargainings” in Abrahamic intercession before the Lamb makes His move. This is a different intercession than what is currently being offered.

The current intercession on all fronts (as well as much “revival” talk) is geared toward “saving Sodom” (and is even being offered by churches who harbor sodomy!). This intercession is ignorant and the Lord has had enough of it. The intercession the Lord is awakening under the awareness of this film is a pure Abrahamic intercession that knows the end is decreed for Sodom but in the face of that knowledge is imploring the Lord for final deliverances of select targets of the heart before the Lamb makes His seismic move in the earth.

- Destinies to Be Unlocked

This Abrahamic Intercession is also with regard to destiny placements. Right now, under the tension between societal lawlessness and the remaining effects of the Law of God in the society, many destinies are being held up. Many believers have a clear vision for what the Lord wants to execute through their lives in many areas, but are unable to do so under this tension of colliding spiritual forces in the society.

But this is going to change when the Lamb makes his move. Once the seismic event occurs that explodes the pressure in the tension, many destinies will be shaken loose, and the pieces of action will fall together in a clear format to follow. But the Lord requires intercession so that we will remain in our places in advance of the shakeout.

It is also under jurisdiction of the shakeout conditions that true revival will begin to manifest. A clear delineation between true revival and what is passing for revival talk now will be made.

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These are the sum of my deep reflections and impressions from the Lord regarding the film The Passion of the Christ.

Sincerely,

Chris Anderson
New Meadow Neck, Rhode Island