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The Matrix of Reality

”Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44

I don’t know if you saw the science fiction movie called The Matrix [warning: secular movie containing some language and violence]. The basic premise is a fantastic picture of reality. In the film, computers have taken over the world but need a renewable energy source, so they have vast storehouses of human beings who serve as “batteries.” These human beings are physically motionless in metal and glass cylinders, kept alive by tubes for their entire lives. However, to prevent the humans from realizing the actual state of life [and rebelling], their minds are plugged into The Matrix. The Matrix is a computer-generated world in which these humans live normal lives, never suspecting that it is all in their minds and that the truth is far different.

The Matrix Of Deception

How does The Matrix movie illustrate reality? No, we don’t live in a computer-generated world, but we do live in a world of illusion generated by the Master of Lies, Satan himself. We are born into this world and grow up in it, never, for the most part, suspecting that it is anything else other than the truth. Everything "feels right" because it is all we have known. Yet, inside each human heart, we yearn for something more. We long for Someone or something to fill a void in our lives, even when we can't quite define what we are missing. Like a master magician, Satan keeps us distracted while he tries to "run out the clock," so we enter an unchangeable eternity unprepared and unsaved.

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart... Ecc. 3:11, NASB

Even as Christians, we will never be completely free of this deception until we enter the presence of God after death. Every time we sin, for example, we have believed the deception that sin is more profitable or pleasurable than righteousness. That is a direct contradiction of reality, yet we have been so conditioned by this sinful world that we think holiness is boring and destroys the joy of living. Satan spins his tale that we should be afraid of God, rather than seeing Him as a loving Father who wants to wrap His arms around us.

Illusion Vs. Reality

Non-Christians walk in this world of fantasy and illusion with no clue that anything is wrong with the picture. Those who catch a glimpse of reality may even prefer the world of illusion to what they perceive as the world of reality. They will fight against Christianity because they suspect it is true, and they don’t want it to be. They would rather live in a fantasy world. The problem with a fantasy world is that it is not real. Sooner or later, reality will smash it to pieces. If that happens at death, then there will be no opportunity to enter the beautiful, joy-filled world of reality that God actually created.

As Christians, we live in this world of reality; however, our minds are still, to a great degree, under the delusion of the fantasy world. What is real and what is not? We are so under the spell of the illusion that only the Word of God can penetrate and show us reality. That is why we must constantly study AND apply the Word of God. The Word of God often may not make sense because the Lie has so influenced us. It is then we have to obey out of faith that God is right, and we are wrong. In the light of the Word of God, the darkness of the illusion must vanish. We must realize that the Word of God is the only true guide through this world of illusion to reality. It is the only lighthouse that will bring us to a safe harbour. As lovely as they may seem, other lights are directing us to hidden rocks that will destroy our lives.

The world of deception and the world of reality physically exist side by side. The difference is not in their physical or spiritual existence but in how we perceive their existence. On the bottom line, only God’s world of reality actually exists. The deception is to get us to believe and act as if reality is something different than it is. The Word of God pierces that deception and shows us the Truth.

Having an intellectual knowledge of the Truth is not enough. What we truly believe, we will act on. The Truth must pierce our hearts. Our emotions sometimes lead us astray because we so easily accept the world of the lie. We must stand on Truth, immovable when the swirling winds of emotions and deception whip around us. Step out of the Matrix into reality, and unlike the movie, you will discover that reality is a great place to be.

For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.

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