Fact, Fiction, and Faith: Navigating the Cultural Noise of movies like 'Disclosure Day'
A few days ago, while scrolling through my social media I saw a post by Steven Spielberg that caught my attention, especially in light of the current conversation around aliens, AI, and the end times. The Academy Award winning director was discussing his upcoming movie Disclosure Day and the caption on the reel read, "Steven Spielberg says his upcoming alien film, Disclosure Day, will have Christians 'second-guessing' their beliefs." Spielberg pointed to two major ways the movie's themes would disrupt and disturb Christians:
Ontological Shock: This type of revelation could trigger major societal dislocation, trauma, and theological crises in believers.
Theological Re-evaluation: Is God really who He says He is and is everything we know about God truly accurate? Our understanding of God and the Bible is outdated and untrustworthy.
I actually thought to myself, "Well, that's kind of predictable and according to the playbook." I had recently been spending time in Matthew 24 reflecting on the themes Jesus discussed and how we should posture ourselves amid disruption and deception. Throughout the chapter Jesus gives us four ways we should posture ourselves in these times:
1. WATCHFUL. Verses 42-43 tell us this: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into." But this is no ordinary watchfulness like looking out a window. No, it has a much deeper meaning that is important for us to understand. It carries four key attributes:
Active Wakefulness: The root word gregoreo means to stay awake, alert, or vigilant. It is active and intentional not passive.
Metaphorical Alertness: It contrasts with spiritual "sluggishness", moral laziness, or ambivalence.
Continuous Action: The imperative verb tense implies a constant, ongoing state of mind.
Defensive Posture: It mirrors a military guard protecting a city wall against enemies.
2. READY AND PREPARED. Verse 44 goes on to say: "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Once again, the word carries a stronger meaning than we might originally grasp. In this text "ready" means being in a continual state of active, faithful, and watchful preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. Contextually, the word implies:
Watchfulness: Living in a way that is consistent with Christ's teachings every single day.
Active Service: Continuing to do the work God has assigned (e.g., serving others, sharing our faith, making disciples, building the local church, and advancing God's Kingdom and cause through our lives) rather than being idle or distracted by the world.
Anticipation and urgency: Conducting your life with the conviction that Jesus could return at any moment.
3. SETTLED AND SECURE. Earlier in the chapter in verse six Jesus says this: "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." Throughout scripture, God shows that He is sovereign over history and the affairs of the world. He consistently encourages believers not to be unsettled by trials, but instead to trust His character, nature, and purposes.
4. STANDING FIRM. Lastly, in verses 12-13 Jesus says: "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who standsfirm to the end will be saved." Throughout scripture "stand firm" means holding your ground in the Christian faith without wavering. Paul urges believers to maintain stability against suffering, confusion, or false teachings by tightly clinging to the true gospel teachings they were originally taught. The verse emphasizes two main actions:
Stand firm: Refers to spiritual stability. In the original Greek, it literally means to "remain stationary" or not get pushed off course.
Hold to the traditions: Means keeping a tight grip on the core, authoritative teachings Paul delivered, whether in person ("by our spoken word") or in his previous letters.
Over and over again in scripture we are told to stand firm. Take for example in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 where the Apostle Paul spends the first twelve verses talking about the man of lawlessness being revealed in the end times. A notable portion of scripture is found in verses 9-10: "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."
Amid this cultural pull and false spiritual activity Paul tells believers once again to stand firm, hold to the historic teachings and to stay connected to Jesus in verses 15-17: "So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."
So, enjoy the movie if you decide to go, but definitely don't build your life and faith and worldview on it.
