I went to the movies with my son and his friend last night. I almost didn’t go, thinking I’d drive over the the clinic and spend some time working on the computer and hanging out with my dog, Spot, who is recuperating from being hit by a car just before Christmas. But, at the last moment, I decided to tag along to the theater. They decided to watch the movie “Legion” – an apocalyptic-type thriller.
In “Legion”, God has grown tired of mankind’s repeated failures and has decided to, once again, destroy the earth.
“And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.”
–Genesis 9:11
True to his word, God doesn’t send a flood to destroy the earth. This time, he sends his angels. The characters in the movie, understandably, mistake these angels for demons. After all, they possess the bodies of humans, distort their bodies, have razor sharp teeth, walk on walls and ceilings, kill the innocent, and otherwise do things that are far more demonic than angelic. But, Michael sets the record straight. Yes, that’s THE Michael, the archangel of God who has, apparently, mutinied and come to earth to try to save humanity from God’s wrath. He not only has to take on all of the heavenly host (looking for all the world like demonic spirits), but also the archangel Gabriel.
And, what is Michael’s plan? To save an unborn child. No, his mother isn’t a virgin. In fact, she makes it pretty clear she is far from it. No sweet, innocent Mary-type here. She confesses at one point that she even went to the clinic to abort her baby, but was stopped by an overwhelming feeling of being swallowed up in darkness which she interpreted as the way death must feel.
By the end of the movie, Michael has defeated Gabriel, Charley (the mother), the baby and Jeep, a somewhat simple man who is not the baby’s father but has taken on the responsibility of protecting Charley and her baby (think Joseph’s role with Mary and Jesus), drive off with into the desert with a truck full of weapons of mass destruction waiting for the baby to grow up and lead the world from darkness into light.
“Legion” obviously borrows heavily from the “Terminator” and the “Matrix” movie series. But, my goal here isn’t to just provide a regular film critique, but to point out the many, many major theological errors in this movie. Having said that, I realize the creator’s weren’t trying to enact the actual Apocalypse written about in the book of Revelations, but I see a disturbing and dangerous trend in these “Hollywood meets the Bible” movies that are being made in the last several years.
I know, I can hear my critics already saying, “But they are just movies, meant only to entertain.” I beg to differ. I believe they are propaganda instruments created by the enemy to erode the belief system of Christians, and to prevent the non-saved from becoming Christians in the first place. Before you start ranting about me being yet another over-zealous Christian bent on saving the world, let me explain why I feel this way.
First, let’s look at “Legion”. Michael the Archangel mutinies against God, disobeys his orders, and decides that he is going to give God what he needs, not what he wants. I seem to remember another fallen angel who presumed to place himself above God. He goes by many names, Lucifer, the dragon, the serpent, the devil, Satan. Yet, in the end, Michael’s decision pays off and he is actually rewarded by God for his disobedience. Michael comes to earth and cuts off his wings, thereby becoming “human” and no longer an angel. The symbolism here is very much like Jesus coming to earth and emptying himself of all of his deity powers, becoming a mere man.
Throughout the movie, angels bent on destroying the humans — especially the unborn baby — (think King Herod trying to destroy the Christ child, and the Terminator trying to destroy Sarah Connor) possess the bodies of humans (think Agents taking over bodies in the “Matrix” movie series). I’m having trouble with angelic beings being sent by God to kill the “future hope of mankind” for a couple of reasons.
