What's Missing from The Remaining
Minor spoilers for The Remaining (both the film and the graphic adaptation). But, really, all these characters look the same, so good luck identifying who the ones on this page are.
The Remaining is an ambitious horror film about the End Times, but my biggest problem with it is that the Gospel it presents is super vague. It basically boils down to, "Believe and have faith in God to be saved, or live selfishly and die." No one explains what faith is or what people need to be saved from. I don't think it's even made clear why the End Times events that happen in the film (the giant hail, the earthquake, the "locusts") are being unleashed on the earth. In fact, the name of Jesus isn't even mentioned.
What's really needed in this movie is for the one pastor character to stand up and give a speech to all the scared people sheltering in his church…
"The reason all these horrifying things are happening all around us is because God is pouring out his wrath. He hates sin, and that's all any of us have been doing with our lives. If you don't think you're a sinner, then ask yourself if you've ever lied or stolen anything, if you've ever lusted after a man or woman, or if you've ever hated someone in your heart. Are you envious of others? Have you ever disrespected your parents? Do you even believe that God is real? And if you do, do you love anyone or anything more than you love him? What do you spend most of your time thinking, fantasizing, or worrying about? These are all crimes against our Creator, the only Holy Being in all of existence. And he's been patient with this world that hates him for so long, but the time has finally come for him to bring the hammer down.
"I pastored this church for years, and I thought I was doing all the right things, checking all the boxes. But my heart was more focused on furthering my own fame. I read and studied the Bible all my life, but I wasn't living by it. I never truly repented, never truly trusted. I was trying to do it all myself.
"Look…there are only two kinds of people who aren't guilty and condemned before God: perfect people and forgiven people. All those people who 'died' right as this craziness started? Their bodies are still here, but their souls are with God now. Each of you probably knew at least one of them. Do you think they were perfect? No. But they were forgiven! Why? How?
"Two thousand years ago, God sent his only Son into the world as a man, and he lived a perfect life. He never did any of the wicked things we all are guilty of. He was absolutely innocent in all things, but he willingly died by excruciating capital punishment as if he were the worst criminal in history. He did that for you! For all of us! He took the punishment we deserved so that we could be pardoned! And then he came back to life so that anyone who knows that they're inadequate to get to heaven on their own and accepts his death in their place can be with him forever in eternal glory.
"That's what they had that we didn't. They trusted that Christ's sacrifice had covered their sins, while we were out there either trying to make up for our sins by ourselves or pretending that we didn't have any sins in the first place!
"I hate to say this, but…the people out there who've died from the earthquakes, the hail, the plane crashes…unless they had a last-minute revelation, it's too late for them. But it's not too late for us! If you hear my voice, you still have a chance. Trust in Jesus! Repent of you sins and give up trying to earn your own salvation! He'll forgive you. If you let him."
Yeah, that would've hit the nail on the head way better than what we got.
From The Remaining
