Human Trafficking in the Church — Part 15
Recognizing the Six Characteristics of the Religious Spirit of Babylon
The six characteristics of the religious spirit of Babylon are the same today as they were when they were first recorded in Scripture in Genesis 11.
3. Building an Empire (continued)
“Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves’—Genesis 11:4 (NLT)
“Have you ever stood and stared at it? Marveled at it beauty? Its genius? Billions of people just living out their lives … oblivious … the peak of your civilization! And I say your civilization because as soon as we started thinking *for *you it really became our civilization, which of course is what this is all about.”—Agent Smith to Morpheus as he looked out over the vast city that was built by those who served the Matrix
“Flee out of Babylon, Let every one of you save his life!”—Jeremiah 51:6 (AMP)
“My people, you must escape from Babylon.”—Revelation 1:4 (CEV)
In The Matrix movie, it is not until Neo is unplugged from feeding the system that his discipleship can truly begin in earnest. Then Neo can finally begin the journey to discover who he really is and enter into his true calling in life, gradually discovering the destiny that he was created to fulfill.
We can experience the same thing when we put off the heavy yokes of the religious organizations and exchange them for the easy yoke of Jesus Himself. His yoke is much more comfortable and easy to bear because we were born to fit His yoke.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”—Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP)
“You were bought with a price [a precious price paid by Christ]; do not become slaves to men [but to Christ].”—1 Corinthians 7:23 (AMP)
As we stop serving the expectations of Christian empire builders and devote ourselves to following Jesus Christ as His disciples alone, doors of possibilities in the spiritual realm open to us that we never knew existed.
As Cypher said to Neo at the beginning of his journey, “It means buckle your seat belt, Dorothy, ’cause Kansas is going bye-bye.”
When Neo’s journey in discipleship started, he didn’t seem to have much to offer. As with all of us, it doesn’t matter what we bring to the table. God just asks for our obedience, our willingness, and our availability. Then He can take what we give to Him and work wonders with it.
“But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.”—1 Corinthians 1:27 (CEV)
At first, Neo was not conditioned to life in the spiritual realm. He had not regularly exercised his spiritual muscles, and his spiritual senses were dull from lack of use.
Dozer: “He still needs a lot of work.”
Neo: “What are you doing?”
Morpheus: “Your muscles have atrophied, we’re rebuilding them.”
Neo: “Why do my eyes hurt?”
Morpheus: “You’ve never used them before. Rest, Neo. The answers are coming.”
Neo must learn to develop his spiritual strength and senses, just as we all do, and just as Jesus and John the Baptist did.
“The child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit,”—Luke 1:80 (AMP)
“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.”—Luke 2:40 (AMPC)
Under the guidance of spiritual leaders who actually care about him and are focused on helping Neo fulfill his God-given destiny, he makes progress very rapidly.
With the help of Tank, Neo begins to receive download after download of revelation knowledge that transforms his thinking and teaches him how to be successful in spiritual warfare. He tries out his newly gained revelation knowledge in a sparring match with Morpheus.
Transformed By The Renewing of the Mind
Under the guidance of Morpheus, whose name is a play on the word “metamorphosis,” Neo begins his spiritual transformation, renewing his mind with spiritual truth to replace the deceptions that he has believed for so long.
“Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].”—Romans 12:2 (AMPC)
Morpheus: “I’m trying to free your mind, Neo, but I can only show you the door, you’re the one that has to walk through it. Tank, load the jump program… . You have to let it all go, Neo, fear, doubt, and disbelief. Free your mind.”
Neo: “Whoa. Okie dokie. Free my mind… . All right, no problem. Free my mind. Free my mind. All right.”
Neo is challenged to test his faith with the jump program. Morpheus demonstrates to show Neo that what he previously thought was impossible is actually possible if he believes.
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’”—Mark 9:23 (NKJV)
Neo fell in his first attempt at the jump program, but he continued to grow, increase in spiritual strength, and learn how to move and live in the spiritual realm.
“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again”—Proverbs 24:16 (NKJV)
As he gained knowledge and skill, his confidence increased with his proficiency. His faith continued to grow as well until, at the end of the film, we see a mature spiritual warrior overcoming his enemies.
None of us are born mature. We all must go through the growth process, just as Jesus did.
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”—Luke 2:52 (NKJV)
Prophetic Insight for the Journey
On his journey to discover his true identity and his destiny, Neo received a boost of prophetic insight through a visit to the Oracle. As he waited to receive prophetic guidance, Neo had an opportunity to interact with other “potentials” who were also in the process of learning and developing their gifts under the guidance of wise leadership.
That scene reminded me of times that I spent in classes and events with Streams Ministries under the leadership of John Paul Jackson. As students, we were the “potentials” of that time who were learning, growing, and preparing to enter into the individual destinies that God had for each of us. Each of us who was involved with Streams Ministries received prophetic insight that gave us keys to unlock mysteries of our individual callings, just as Neo received insight from the Oracle.
Growing in Relationship with God
Neo grew in proficiency and learned to feel comfortable in the spiritual realm. He grew to depend on the unseen voice that communicated with him through phones. He learned to call out in prayer for help in his most desperate times of need.
In the famous scene when he is using every skill that he has learned to dodge the bullets of the enemy on the rooftop, he cries out in a prayer of desperation, “Trinity! Help!”
In his most desperate moment, Trinity is there to deliver Neo from the enemy that is too strong for him, symbolizing God’s intervention on behalf of the believer who cries out to Him for help. Just when it looks like all hope is lost, Trinity ends the attack with a single bullet between the eyes of the enemy. “Dodge this,” she says.
The foundation for all of Neo’s spiritual development is a developing intimate relationship with Trinity, who represents God in this movie—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity is Neo’s constant companion, his encourager, his helper, and his savior. At the end of the movie, it is Trinity’s love that brings resurrection power to Neo and enables him to finally overcome death and all of the enemies that have been plaguing him.
Walking the Talk
As he grew in knowledge and skill, Neo learned that it was not enough just to *know *the truth. In order to truly enter into his calling, Neo had to *apply *the truth in his daily life. This is stated very clearly in 2 Peter 1:5-11.
Morpheus: “Neo, sooner or later you’re going to realize just as I did, there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.”
“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.”—Matthew 23:1-3 (NLT)
“In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity. Someone might claim, ‘You have faith and I have action.’ But how can I see your faith apart from your actions? Instead, I’ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action.”—James 2:17-18 (CEB)
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”—James 2:26 (NKJV)
Demonstrating Love
For Neo, as for all of us, the greatest test of his maturity is his willingness to lay down his life for his friends, demonstrating the mature love of God in his heart.
The Oracle to Neo: “You’re going to have to make a choice. In the one hand you’ll have Morpheus’ life and In the other hand, you’ll have your own. One of you is going to die. Which one will be up to you.”
“No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.”—John 15:13 (AMP)
Neo puts his own life in danger in order to rescue Morpheus from the agents who would gladly kill Neo if they had the opportunity.
Later, Neo proves that he is willing to risk his own life for the sake of Trinity, symbolically proving that he is willing to lay down his own life in service of the God that he loves. It is in losing his life in service to Trinity that he finds his own true life and enters into the fullness of who he was born to become and what he was born to do.
“whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”—Matthew 16:25 (NKJV)
In the subway station, when Neo turns to face the agent rather than running away, it is symbolic of a believer who finally understands and believes who he is in Christ and that the Jesus in him is bigger than the evil entity that is challenging his faith.
Trinity: “What is he doing?”
Morpheus: “He’s beginning to believe.”
The agent that is driven by the evil religious spirit refuses to acknowledge that Neo is a new creature in Christ. Agent Smith continues to call him “Mr. Anderson” as he hurls statements of doubt and hopelessness at Neo.
Agent Smith: “I’m going to enjoy watching you die, Mr. Anderson… . Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability. That is the sound of your death. Goodbye, Mr. Anderson.”
But Neo refuses to accept the lies of the enemy. His victory over this agent comes when Neo rejects the lies of the enemy and declares in faith the truth of his new life in Christ.
Neo: “My name is Neo.”
In declaring this, Neo affirms the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (NKJV)
The old Mr. Anderson no longer exists. He has now fully entered into the truth of his new identity in Christ. He is Neo, the new creature in Christ.
Experiencing Resurrection Life
It is significant that Neo’s final battle takes place in the very same room in which Trinity overcame her enemies in the first scene of the movie—room 303. As believers, we overcome by entering into the victory that Jesus has already won for us on the cross.
Neo began his journey in room 101, but in his maturity, he experiences final victory in room 303, symbolizing the 3rd stage of maturity as described to us in 1 John 2:12-14.
It is in this last battle that Neo finally experiences the power of resurrection life and enters into the fullness of what Morpheus and Trinity knew he could become.
This final battle begins with Neo’s death, as Agent Smith shoots him at point blank range when Neo enters the room. But for the believer, death is not the end. Death is the final enemy to be overcome, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:26.
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” (KJV)
In order to be victorious in this final battle, Neo had to experience resurrection power. This is what the Apostle Paul prayed for.
“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”—Philippians 3:10 (ESV)
As Neo lies dead on the floor where he had been killed by the agent, Trinity speaks life back into him, commanding him to rise from the dead.
Trinity: “Neo, … you can’t be dead. You can’t be, because I love you. You hear me? I love you… . Now get up.”
Neo rises from the dead as “The One.” Symbolically, this represents a mature believer who has died to himself and has entered into the crucified life by faith. Now, rising into resurrection life, Christ truly lives in him as Paul described in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (NKJV)
He is now full of faith and secure in the knowledge of who he is in Christ. He walks in the fullness of the New Covenant and carries the authority of God.
Now he is able to see clearly into the spiritual realm, seeing the Matrix for what it is. Neo faces his enemies and overcomes them, not by natural strength, but by spiritual authority. Now he can stop a barrage of bullets simply by speaking the word, “No.”
He no longer flees from his enemies. Now his enemies flee from him.
“A single one of you puts a thousand to flight. This is because the Lord your God fights for you, exactly as he promised you.”—Joshua 23:10 (CEB)
By the end of the movie, Neo has entered into the full maturity of his calling and destiny. After overcoming the religious spirit controlling the Matrix, we last see Neo flying and moving freely and comfortably in the spiritual realm.
None of this would have been possible for Neo if he had stayed plugged into the Matrix. He would have spent the rest of his life feeding a vast religious system that was using him to accomplish its own purposes and enrich itself. He would have spent his entire life as Thomas Anderson. He would never have discovered his true identity or his incredible purpose in life. If he had not unplugged from the Matrix system, he would never have become Neo—the fully mature new creature in Christ Jesus.
Speaking in the background, Neo shares some final words for the Matrix as the screen displays a message of “System Failure.”
Neo’s final words in a phone call to the Matrix: “I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid. You’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin. I’m going to hang up this phone and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see. I’m going to show them a world without you, a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries, a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.”
**Reference: **
Wachowski, L., & Wachowski, L. (2021, August 26). The Matrix Transcript. Matrix Fans. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.matrixfans.net/movies/the-matrix/transcript/
