Seeing The Gospel Within the Movie: “Noah” I have heard and read numerous reviews/ comments from people who have seen the movie. There was anger, outrage, and disappointment for the most part in how unbiblical it was. From that standpoint it was horribly inaccurate; laughably so, but the reality is that it was never intended to be. If there was spiritual message within the movie it was based off a Gnostic religion called “Kabbalah” in which God hates mankind, creation is to be worshipped, and the serpent had it right all along in the Garden. However,I don’t want to get sidetracked because my purpose in going to the movie was for a different reason, and that was to see if there was any light in the darkness. Well, unbeknownst to most reviewers and even the producer, the Gospel message shone through brightly and I walked out of the movie theatre not angry or bitter but worshipping God for His power to hide mysteries in plain sight, and that He would proclaim the message of salvation despite man’s effort to glorify creation instead of the Creator. So where is the Gospel in the movie? 1. Noah says in the film: “There is wickedness in all of us, and all mankind must die” and “we are all being punished”. Both he and the “bad guy” Tubal-Cain cry out to God: “Why won’t you speak to me?” and are both met with silence. In this they got it right; man is fallen and wicked from birth and will die. The curse in the Garden brought death to man and separation from God. The Flood was God’s judgement on the earth and Genesis 7:4 details the plan to “…wipe off the face of the earth every living thing I have made”. 2. Here is the next thing they got right, and is also a picture of the Gospel. Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noahs life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. The movie depicted water gushing upward out of holes in the ground as rain fell from the sky. I thought it was quite a scene along with the huge tidal waves of water that converged upon the ark from all sides. The water at the time of the Flood represented death and wrath and if you think about it at the Cross the “heavens were opened” and the wrath of God rained down upon His Son, while at the same time from the earth below the “fountains of wrath” reached up toward Jesus on the cross. The testing, trials, the persecution, the beatings, the sin of man, the rejection by those He loved, the cry of the crowds saying “We will not have this man reign over us!’ were all part of the “flood waters” of wrath that met at the cross and came crashing down upon Jesus as He hung there. Regarding this point Mike Cleveland states: “Indeed, we can see the ark in a watery grave as it was surrounded on all sides by the storm, and beat upon by the wind and the waves. And so it was that Jesus Christ, our Ark of Safety, was crucified for our sins and laid to rest in a grave where He remained for three days and three nights.” 3. In the movie the ark was a dark and dirty mess due to the pitch that was smeared all over it, and again, they got this right and it is also a picture of the Gospel. Genesis 6: 14 Make yourself an ark of gofer wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. This is one of two times in the Bible that the word “pitch” is used but it’s translated 71 times in the Old Testament by another word. This is what the word “pitch” means: A primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figurative to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel :- appease, make (an) atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile (-liation). -Strongs Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary Are you seeing it? This word that was used to describe the very thing that kept the water away from those within the wood of the ark is a word that is intimately connected with the message of the Gospel! Just as God had Noah cover the wood of the ark inside and out with pitch as a protective agent against the waters of His wrath, so our Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood on the wood of the cross to cover our sins, and His blood is the protection against Gods wrath. I am so thankful that Jesus would submit Himself to the flood waters of the wrath of His Father, that the cross is a sufficient covering for our sins, and that He rose from the grave victorious over our sins. I walked out of the movie with a renewed appreciation for how desperately wicked man is, how deeply we all need the Gospel, and how thankful I am for His mercy toward sinful mankind. Without it we are sunk in our sins and I hope this has helped you see Jesus a little clearer and draw you to the cross in worship for His provision. Again, my point in this review was to see the Gospel in the movie and not critique it past that. If you’re looking for a movie that will uphold biblical truths and values then I’d point you away from it but regardless of that I Praise God that even in the midst of secular films like “Noah” that the Gospel light can still shine forth despite man’s efforts to quench it. He is GOD, can use all things for His glory and…. You are loved! Shon Bruellman
Posted on: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 14:59:10 +0000