paradise lost 2 : revelations
check out everything we' ve got on
paradise lost: the child murders at robin hood hills
and
paradise lost 2: revelations .
berlinger and sinofsky aim to finish
paradise lost 3
by the end of 2010 .
doc soup: whatever happened to... the subjects of' paradise lost' ?
while not quite as objective as the first film, paradise lost 2 does seem to do a better job of raising awareness of the case .
2. he who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death (2: 11) .
when
paradise lost
played on hbo, the film inspired a national movement to free the prisoners - - damien echols, now 24, under sentence of death, and jessie misskelley, 23, and jason baldwin, 21, serving life sentences. now comes
paradise lost 2: revelations ,
a sequel that involves their appeals, and also features extraordinary footage of mark byers, the father under suspicion, whose wife has died under mysterious circumstances .
berlinger and sinofsky announced plans for
paradise lost 3
in 2004 and figured they' d have it in theaters within three years .
i guess there' ll be a' paradise lost 4,' given the glacial pace ,
he said .
in 2000, they released paradise lost 2: revelations, which showed the trio in prison and presented theories by several west memphis three advocacy groups, targeting stepfather mark byers as a suspect in the children’s murder. he agreed to take a lie detector test on camera – and passed. “i look at paradise lost 2 sometimes and i cringe, ” berlinger says. “i think we were too hard on mark. ” but by this time, the story gained the support and interest of celebrities such as johnny depp, eddie vedder, peter jackson and henry rollins .
the power to tell a truth — whether it’s revolutionary, unpopular or simply uncool — is what makes documentary such a vital medium. but, incredibly, inexplicably, maddeningly, echols, baldwin, and misskelley are still in prison 14 years after paradise lost made its irrefutable case. and this is also despite berlinger and sinofsky’s 2000 follow - up film, paradise lost 2: revelations, made the facts even more clear, and despite a wave of support from activists and celebrities (including johnny depp) galvanized by the documentaries .
warp films present' paradise lost 1 & 2' on double disc dvd. these classic us documentaries tell the story of one of the most notorious murder cases in us history, featuring a soundtrack by metallica. ntsc region 0 .
1. to him who overcomes, i will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of god (2: 7) .
originally, we had envisioned' paradise lost 3' not being over until the story comes to its conclusion, which hopefully meant exoneration, but obviously could mean execution, which would be tragic ,
he continued .
we don' t want to make' paradise lost 4,' but it seems like that' s in the cards now, because we feel like' paradise lost 3' needs to get out and people need to be reminded that this case is still [ ongoing ] .
while revelations suffers from the filmmakers’ frustrating lack of access, as well as a too self - referential bent (the original paradise lost is evoked multiple times, particularly by members of free the west memphis three), it nonetheless proves a compelling piece of advocacy journalism and a disturbing portrait of a man who may or may not have gotten away with murder .
the unanswered questions at the end of
paradise lost
were the kind that could inspire not only a need for a follow - up documentary, but indeed an entire political movement .
though “paradise lost 3” bills itself as a conclusive chapter and exults in freedom for the west memphis three, it feels as though we haven’t yet made our last trip to those haunted woods .
23 five of the seven churches must repent if they are to be counted among those who overcome. see rev 2: 5 (ephesus); 2: 16 (pergamum); 2: 21–22 (thyatira); 3: 3 (sardis); 3: 19 (laodicea) .
how' paradise lost' laid the groundwork for today' s true - crime - doc boom – and why, 20 years later, it' s still as vital and timely as ever .
metallica may contribute music to
paradise lost revisited ,
a sequel to the acclaimed documentary on the trial of three arkansas teenagers convicted of killing three small boys in a so - called satanic ritual .
many filmmakers dream of turning one movie into a sequel - spawning franchise. but the news that there will be not only a third but likely a fourth
paradise lost
documentary is bittersweet to all involved .
10 to five of the seven churches, jesus says, “i know your deeds” (2: 2, 19; 3: 1, 8, 15). to the church of smyrna, jesus says, “i know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the blasphemy... ” (2: 9). to the church of pergamum, jesus says, “i know where you dwell... ” (2: 13) .
the thin blue line – errol morris’s documentary about randall dale adams, the man wrongly convicted of murdering a dallas policeman in 1976 – may be the only film in history instrumental in freeing an innocent man from death row. but if joe berlinger and bruce sinofsky have their way, it won’t be the last. berlinger and sinofsky are the filmmakers behind the 1996 investigation of the robin hood hills murders, paradise lost. four years later, they return to the scene of the crime for the follow - up, revelations .
the band allowed some of its music to be used in
paradise lost ,
which was a first for the band. one of the convicted young men, damian echols, has a final state appeal in jonesboro, arkansas on june 9 and 10 .
in the years since the last paradise lost installment came out, there has been a proliferation in similarly themed media. in addition to making a murderer, docuseries such as the jinx and the staircase have presented compelling narrative documentaries about reasonable doubt and the criminal - justice system, while dramas such as the night of and conviction have focused on wrongful convictions. “had there been netflix when we made paradise lost, it could have been chopped into a great, eight - part binge - watch series, ” berlinger says .
paradise lost 2 is a brilliant suspenseful documentary with an unbelievable conclusion. the audience is invited to play in the guess work of who is actually telling the truth. the film makers let the evidence unfold in front of the viewer allowing them to draw what seems to be the inevitable conclusion and then throw a complete curve ball when the results of the polygraph test come back. an engrossing and astounding look at the american justice system .
the tree of life was in the garden of eden, the original paradise. it was where adam was supposed to enjoy intimacy with god. adam, in his unfallen state, had access to this tree but when he fell god kept him from it (gen 1: 26 - 28; 3: 22). in the future, overcomers will have access to it again (cf. rev 22: 14). god is going to provide the overcomers with intimate fellowship with christ in a place called the “paradise of god. ” “paradise” is a persian word meaning “a pleasure park, or garden. ” the greek old testament uses it to translate the garden of eden in genesis 2: 8 - 10. to the oriental mind it meant the sum of blessedness. christ, as the “last adam, ” is the restorer of paradise lost (rev 22: 1 - 4, and 14) .
but i’ll bet you already know this. the circumstances and bizarre carriage of justice that swirled around the “west memphis three” prisoners became the stuff of outsider outrage when joe berlinger and bruce sinofsky’s first documentary about the murders, “ paradise lost: the child murders at robin hood hills, ” aired on hbo in 1996 .
filmmaker joe berlinger told mtv news that he has uncovered stunning new evidence of the innocence of the
west memphis three ,
which will be included in the 90 - minute film .
paradise lost revisited
won' t turn up on hbo until late this year, but the original is now available on videocassette .
“paradise lost 3” is perhaps the most interesting and well - made film of the trilogy, not only because of its mixed - blessing epilogue, in which echols, baldwin and misskelley were freed from prison with an alford plea deal last august. agreeing to the plea technically released them, but it left the case unsolved .
14 the false teachers undoubtedly claimed to be functional apostles (cf. 2 cor 11: 13) rather than official apostles (acts 1: 15 - 26) .
in their riveting “paradise lost 3: purgatory, ” premiering thursday night on hbo, berlinger and sinofsky return to west memphis to finish what has undeniably become a life’s work. another decade has passed. the teens have aged in prison, now approaching their 40s, while appeal after appeal was denied by the judge who oversaw their trial .
indeed, the case continues to pique interest; another documentary from a different director, produced by “ lord of the rings ” director peter jackson, is coming soon, claiming to have details unexplored by “paradise lost. ” the case has become a symbol, resonating with anyone who grew up in a small town and liked to wear black clothing or who felt ostracized .
nevertheless, in the years after its premiere, paradise lost’s story continued to grow, as advocacy groups began looking into the west memphis three case. meanwhile, it won an emmy for outstanding informational programming in 1997, and it earned nominations for awards at sundance and the independent spirit awards. but something didn’t sit well with the filmmakers – they thought they should do more .
metallica was so moved by the story that they allowed their music to be used in the first film, back in the days before
mission impossible 2
and
old school ,
when they regularly blocked hollywood access to their catalog. the relationship they developed with the filmmakers resulted in the acclaimed
metallica: some kind of monster
film .
metallica is part and parcel to this story ,
berlinger said .
the band is very proud of their association with the' paradise lost' movie, and i would certainly expect that to continue .
echols was 18 when he was arrested. he is now in his 30s. and, get this — he’s now married. lorri davis saw paradise lost at moma’s new directors festival in 1996 and was so deeply moved by it, she began writing to echols. eventually, she began talking with him on the phone, and then moved near his prison, to little rock, arkansas .
it is interesting to note that the first four churches in this list of seven dealt with false teachers (2: 2, 6, 9, 14 - 15, 20). this is why the pastoral epistles (1 - 2 timothy and titus) challenge pastors to “teach” their congregations. ultimately, each one of us must know the truth so that we can protect our family and friends from unbiblical doctrine. how well do you think our church is doing in this area? as elders, pastors, small group leaders, and sunday school teachers, are we guarding the flock from false teachers ?
satan returns to earth, and enters a serpent. finding eve alone he induces her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. adam, resigned to join in her fate, eats also. their innocence is lost and they become aware of their nakedness. in shame and despair, they become hostile to each other. the son of god descends to earth to judge the sinners, mercifully delaying their sentence of death. sin and death, sensing satan' s success, build a highway to earth, their new home. upon his return to hell, instead of a celebration of victory, satan and his crew are turned into serpents as punishment. adam reconciles with eve. god sends michael to expel the pair from paradise, but first to reveal to adam future events resulting from his sin. adam is saddened by these visions, but ultimately revived by revelations of the future coming of the savior of mankind. in sadness, mitigated with hope, adam and eve are sent away from the garden of paradise .
3 other views include (1) human messengers i. e. , pastor / teachers or elders; (2) human delegates; (3) a personification of the prevailing spirit of the church .
depp has been making headlines for his pre - taped cbs
48 hours mysteries
interview, which will air sunday during an episode that will discuss new dna evidence and alleged juror misconduct that could theoretically overturn the convictions. berlinger told mtv news that depp actually first reached out to him about the west memphis three in 1996, just six months after the first
paradise lost
documentary premiered at sundance .
another notable reason why paradise lost struck a chord was that it came out five years after the launch of court tv, and two years after the o. j. simpson trial captivated tv audiences across the nation. by the time the movie had premiered on hbo, the premium - cable channel had become a go - to source for original documentaries. it quickly became the channel’s most - watched doc at the time .
it’s an interesting question. one i’ll save for another post another day. but, for now, i hope to put echols in a “what is going to happen to the subject? ” series. looking toward that future, we’re all going to have to wait for the third installment of paradise lost, which, i am happy to report, berlinger and sinofsky are working on. let’s hope this one has a happy ending .
paradise lost is about adam and eve—how they came to be created and how they came to lose their place in the garden of eden, also called paradise. it' s the same story you find in the first pages of genesis, expanded by milton into a very long, detailed, narrative poem. it also includes the story of the origin of satan. originally, he was called lucifer, an angel in heaven who led his followers in a war against god, and was ultimately sent with them to hell. thirst for revenge led him to cause man' s downfall by turning into a serpent and tempting eve to eat the forbidden fruit .
view # 3: the overcomer is a title for all believers because of initial faith in christ. according to this view, all believers become overcomers the moment they believe in jesus christ (1 john 2: 13; 4: 4; 5: 4 - 5). faith, not faithfulness is the primary focus point in this position. however, in 1 john 2: 13 and 4: 4, john wrote that his readers had overcome the world, not that all christians are overcomers. in 1 john 5: 4 - 5, he wrote that only believers in christ can overcome the world, not that every believer in christ does overcome the world. moreover, the letters in revelation 2 and 3 present very different contexts than that of 1 john 5. in each of the seven usages, there is a conditional aspect attached to overcoming (esp. 2: 26) .
after it aired on hbo in june 1996, paradise lost became one of the most catalytic documentaries ever produced. it presented the story objectively, showing the trial and reactions from the victims’ family members, allowing viewers to make up their own minds about what happened. and it subsequently inspired a movement among viewers who concluded that the accused – who went on to become known as the west memphis three – had, in fact, been wrongly convicted .
the film ruminates in many morose ways on the passage of time and the perniciousness of set minds while acknowledging the first two films’ role in bringing attention to the case. had it not been for “paradise lost, ” the plight of the west memphis three might never have become a celebrity cause, attracting the moral and financial support of johnny depp and pearl jam’s eddie vedder, among others, as well as the determined work of high - priced defense attorneys and legal experts .
nearly everything has changed since 1993. of the murdered boys’ parents and stepparents, one mother has died. a father whose hatred for the accused was so memorably aflame in the first film has completely changed his mind and now publicly proclaims the men’s innocence. the attention from the documentaries and celebrity influence has soured local perceptions of the facts in the case. though it seeks to right a series of wrongs, “paradise lost” remains a fascinating study in the power of media and suggestion .
one thing he won’t be doing anytime soon, though, is making a fourth paradise lost. the west memphis three deserve their privacy now, he says, but he continues to monitor their story. there is only one situation that would bring him back to west memphis. “the state of arkansas was incredibly cowardly to do an alford plea, ” he says. “i would only make another film if i thought it would result in their exoneration. that’s what they deserve. ”
3. the commendation (2: 2 - 3). jesus is in the business of appraising his church and jesus always commends his church first, if he can. jesus commends the church in ephesus with the words: “i know” (oida). in each message to the seven churches, jesus states, “i know. ” 10 since this “i know” statement is present in each of jesus’ messages, we should sense the significance of these words. not only does this statement point to jesus’ omniscience, it also shows us his interest in all that we do and experience. he is the great evaluator and one day he will examine our deeds (1 cor 3: 12 - 15; 2 cor 5: 9 - 10). 11
6. the challenge (2: 7b). jesus declares, “to him who overcomes, i will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of god. ” before we go any further we must determine who is this one who “overcomes. ” many assume that the overcomer is a reference to all christians. 28 interpreters who hold this view appeal to 1 john 2: 13; 4: 4; and 5: 4 - 5 where john referred to his readers as overcomers. however, in 1 john 2: 13 and 4: 4, john said his readers had overcome the world, not that all christians are overcomers. in 1 john 5: 4 - 5, he wrote that only believers in christ can overcome the world, not that every believer in christ does overcome the world. in this context, it is clear that john is using this term differently. in each of the seven usages, there is a conditional aspect attached to overcoming .
31 it is probably not just one tree, but a collective term referring to a whole row of trees that exist between the river and the avenue described in rev 22. this is all a part of the beautiful park or paradise of god .
2. the character (2: 1b). john records the words of “the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand. ” this phrase is a reference to the sovereign authority and control of jesus christ. 9 jesus holds his angels in his right hand (i. e. , the place of honor and power). this phrase about jesus’ character and the others contained in the seven letters are all taken from john’s vision of the glorified christ (rev 1: 12 - 20) .
during the making of the original paradise lost, mark byers, the father of one of the dead boys, presented the filmmakers with a gift – a pocket knife speckled with dried blood. berlinger and sinofsky turned the knife over to the authorities as possible evidence in the robin hood hills killings. since then, a shroud of doubt has hung over byers’s head. many believe him to be involved in the murder of the three boys, and suspicions were heightened by the mysterious death of his wife in 1996 .
3. to him who overcomes, to him i will give some of the hidden manna, and i will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it (2: 17) .
4. the correction (2: 4 - 5). after praising their strengths, jesus told the ephesians in 2: 4, “but i have this against you. ” this is a frightening statement. most of us don’t like when we know someone has something against us. it makes us uncomfortable. it disturbs us. but how would you feel if you knew that jesus christ had something against you? yikes! this should prompt us to ask, “jesus, do you have something against me? have i grieved you? ”
three steps to return to your first love (2: 5): “therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else i am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. ”
this particular letter is written “to the angel of the church in ephesus. ” the church in ephesus was founded by the apostle paul, 5 the believers were discipled by aquila and priscilla, taught by apollos, 6 pastored by timothy (1 tim 1: 3), and instructed by the apostle paul. either directly or indirectly, ephesus had been the recipient of eight new testament books: the gospel of john, ephesians, 7 1 and 2 timothy, 1, 2, and 3 john, and revelation. 8 ephesus was an influential city in the early church .
the identity of the “overcomer” has troubled bible students throughout church history (rev 2: 7; 11, 17, 26 - 28; 3: 5, 12, 21). this has led to four views. view # 1: the one who fails to overcome loses his / her salvation (rev 2: 11; 3: 5). this view must be dismissed because it contradicts the clear teaching of scripture (e. g. , john 5: 24; 10: 28 - 29; rom 8: 38 - 39; eph 2: 8 - 9). paul also writes to the believers at thessalonica: “whether we wake or sleep [ i. e. , whether we are morally alert or spiritually slothful ], we should live together with him” (1 thess 5: 10). this unconditional promise further solidifies the believer’s security .
having already read the book on this terrible crime i just had to obtain the dvd and i just could not stop watching it (5 hours long). if you are a true crime fan this is a must see, and if you are a believer in the death penalty it' s a must see, however i will not go into the detail of the case only to say part 3 of lost paradise is due out in the usa on the 14th august but no release date for the uk yet, i will be one of the first to order it when available .
revelations makes no bones about its agenda – clearly, berlinger and sinofsky believe echols and his associates to be innocent (or at the very least, the victims of an unfair trial). as far as the guilt or innocence of mark byers is concerned, the filmmakers prove more than willing to give him enough rope to hang himself. viewers of the film inclined to give byers the benefit of the doubt will find him sabotaging himself at every turn. whether he committed the murders remains an open question by the documentary’s end, but one thing is for sure: if creepiness was a crime, mark byers would be on death row today .
after finding the first one absolutely riviting and cause for thought and discussion, we looked foward to paradise lost 2 with some anticipation. it was too long for the little new information it contained. it spent way too much time on john byers with no payoff. only after reading the urltoken website, we learned that he and his wife had quite a history of crime, drugs and abuse; this should have been brought much more in the movie instead of his irritable rantings. the end of the movie should have tied up the loose ends better so you could come away with a good understanding of where things stood. i thought the
support group
looked more like groupies for echols which was pretty wierd. they weren' t much more coherent and logical than byers in many ways. i don' t think the bite marks ruled out the boys at all; only that they didn' t bite! @
while we know next to nothing about their doctrine, we can be more certain of their practices. 24 the key is the practices linked with balaam (2: 14 - 15) and jezebel (2: 20 - 23). the two sins found in both are idolatry and immorality. 25 the nicolaitans were a sect of loose - living believers who had perverted and compromised the faith and were bad witnesses to the truth of the gospel. they probably justified themselves with arguments about being “saved by grace” while they flagrantly lived in sin. the church at ephesus took a stand against these men and their teachings and was commended for doing so .
one person who did not feel so effusively about the film was barry scheck, a cofounder of the innocence project, an organization that seeks to overturn wrongful convictions through dna testing and criminal justice system reform. “at the end of one screening, he stood up and said paradise lost was a dangerous film, ” berlinger says. “he felt that by allowing filmmakers in on the legal process and compromising client - attorney privilege, the film would be very damaging because the footage could be subpoenaed. he and i have since made nice in recent years and have a good relationship. he [ now ] sees the value of the film. ”
in 2: 3, jesus again declares, “and you have perseverance and have endured for my names sake, and have not grown weary. ” some 40 years had passed since this church was founded. two generations had risen up in the history of this church. all the while ephesus had remained faithful to jesus christ .
and what of those poor little boys? (caution: “paradise lost 3” unflinchingly provides police footage of the crime scene .) who killed them? the film turns its attention to claims of dna evidence that links one boy’s stepfather to the crime — a claim repeated at a rally by dixie chicks singer natalie maines. the stepfather, terry hobbs, sued maines for defamation, which may have been a miscalculation on his part: his videotaped deposition by maines’s attorney opens a door from which a forgotten chill blows in, renewing a viewer’s fascination once more. hobbs, who is interviewed in the film, has denied having any part in the killings .
“i’ve done 13 or 14 feature documentaries, and no film has generated more intense and emotionally laden q & a’s after screenings as paradise lost, ” berlinger says. “when it got its screening at new film series at the museum of modern art, a brooklyn architect named lorri davis reluctantly attended at the insistence of her friends. she became so mesmerized that she came up to me after and asked many more questions. then she decided to reach out to damien on death row and they fell in love; she ended up marrying him. lorri worked tirelessly on his appeal and one of the main reasons echols’ case was not forgotten was because she took up the cause. ”
perhaps the most striking aspect of paradise lost some two decades later is how plainly it presents the story. it opens with the parents of the victims condemning the teens and includes footage of a press conference where the west memphis chief inspector claimed his case against the teens was, on a scale of one to 10, a solid 11. one of the mothers says she figured the teens worshipped satan: “just look at the freaks, ” she said. but by the time the accused – baldwin, echols and jessie miskelley, jr. , the last of whom has an iq of 72 and implicated the others in a confession – appear onscreen, every aspect of the case against them seems highly questionable .
step 1: remember. jesus says, “therefore remember from where you have fallen. ” the word “therefore” refers back to a loss of love for the lord jesus (2: 4). they fell from a deep love for the lord. they fell from fellowship with him. they fell from all heart to all head. they lost warm love for the lord. the greek word translated “fallen” 21 means that they were in a state of spiritual decline. this was more than an occasional slip. jesus exhorts the ephesians to “remember” from where they have fallen. this is critical. if we remember the love we initially had for god’s word, prayer, fellowship, and witnessing, we will be inspired to action .
24 scholars differ on their understanding of this group. some think they were the followers of nicolas according to early church fathers (cf. acts 6: 5). since their heresy seems to be associated with the doctrine of balaam in rev 2: 14 - 15, some believe this was an antinomian sect that advocated license in matters of christian conduct, including free love .
4. he who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds until the end, to him i will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as i also have received authority from my father; and i will give him the morning star (2: 26 - 28) .
2. the warnings and exhortations given to the above churches apply to us today. though each letter is written to a specific church, all seven letters close with the words, “he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. ” it is important to note, the word “churches” (ekklesiais) is plural. john is writing for all who will listen !
step 3: redo. jesus urges the ephesians to “do the deeds you did at first. ” the context indicates that by first works jesus wants this church to get back to their “first love” for him, the love they had when they first became christians (2: 4). james 4: 8 expresses this thought in his epistle when he writes, “draw near to god and he will draw near to you. ”
1. the commission (2: 1a). “to the angel of the church in ephesus write. ” all seven churches are addressed “to the angel of the church in. ” the term “angel” 3 refers to one of god’s angelic creatures. some find it strange that angels are the recipients of these seven letters. yet eph 3: 10 informs us that what is taking place in the church is for the benefit of teaching the angels. 4
view # 4: the overcomer refers to faithful believers rewarded for their perseverance. according to this view, the promises of rewards are given to believers to encourage them to overcome trials through faithfulness (luke 19: 11 - 26; rom 14: 10 - 12; 1 cor 3: 11 - 15; 9: 27; 2 cor 5: 10). the word translated “overcome” (nikao) means “to be victorious in a contest or conflict. ” hence, “overcomers” are conquerors or victors. the context of revelation 2 - 3 restricts the meaning of the overcomer from all believers (“them”) to a faithful believer (“he”) who overcomes specific conflicts (see john 16: 33). the primary weakness with this view is that some of the rewards can be difficult to interpret as something other than salvation. nonetheless, this view is the most convincing and will be presented throughout this series .
what if jesus christ sent you and your church some mail? would you be excited to read it? you bet you would! well, jesus has sent you some mail. in fact, he has written you seven different letters. they are addressed to “he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. ” 2 the first of these seven letters is written to the church in ephesus. let’s read the contents of this letter .
5 he stayed in ephesus longer than any other city (acts 20: 31). paul had evangelized it and used it as a base of operations for at least three years (acts 18: 19 - 21; 19; 1 cor 16: 8). he was so successful in his ministry there that his ministry turned the city upside down (acts 19: 11 - 41). the silversmiths launched a riot because they lost their business of making shrines of artemis .
step 2: repent. the second step to return to your first love is to “repent. ” the english word “repent” conveys the idea of sorrow or contrition. the greek word does not carry that idea; it is more a total change of thought and behavior. it conveys both ideas of attitude and behavior depending on the context. “repent” means to change one’s thinking. it is clearly connected with changed behavior, as seen in the following phrase “and do the deeds you did at first. ”
the apostle john wrote seven letters to seven historical churches. each dealt with actual conditions of church life in john’s day. yet, while these letters may be historic, they are nonetheless contemporary commentaries on the state of today’s church. any reader of revelation 2 - 3 immediately notices the prophetic similarities between the church of the first century and the church of the 21 st century. this has led some interpreters to suggest that these seven churches are representative of the whole of church history. the following is an example :
in this context, the one who overcomes by maintaining his first love is able to “eat of the tree of life. ” eating with someone implies fellowship; the one who overcomes, then, will fellowship with his savior. it refers to experiencing the joy of reward in heaven for overcoming in spiritual battles and remaining intimate with christ through it all. the term “tree of life” is mentioned 11 times in three books of the bible. the first time is in genesis 2: 9 where we are told that god planted in the garden of eden, the tree of life, next to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. after they sinned by eating from the second tree, adam and eve were banished from the tree of life, lest they live forever in their fallen state. the term is used in a figurative sense in the book of proverbs. 29 but in revelation 22: 2, the reference seems to revert to a literal tree, 30 or better, a number of trees, 31 in the new jerusalem, bearing 12 crops of fruit, one each month, bringing healing to the nations .
it would take more than a decade from the premiere of that film, though, before the three would be released. on august 19th, after numerous appeals, echols, baldwin and miskelley agreed to an alford plea, wherein a defendant asserts his or her innocence while pleading guilty. paradise 3: purgatory traces the path to this moment, showing how byers had become a supporter of the three, as well as presenting speculation that one of the other stepfathers could have been involved in the murders and alleging jury misconduct. it was nominated for an oscar .
30 in the book of rev, the tree of life is literal. it is not just a symbol for eternal life or for the person of christ. in rev 21: 1 - 22: 5, john is describing the eternal state, which includes the new heaven and the new earth with the new jerusalem, a literal place with some 25 verses devoted to its description. it is not a symbol. the tree of life in eden and the tree of life in the new jerusalem (rev 22: 2, 14, 19) appear to be literal trees .
that’s not good enough for jesus either! he wants a relationship, not a performance. jesus says, “you’ve lost that loving feeling. ” is this serious? absolutely: jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love god (matt 22: 37 - 39). we must love him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. if we fail to love him, we disobey the greatest commandment. it doesn’t matter what else we obey, if we fail to keep the highest commandment. we have struck out! leaving our first love is the greatest sin !
the ephesians distanced themselves from their first love. they no longer loved the lord jesus as they did when they first came to christ. they not only took their eyes off the lord but they lost fellowship with him. the principle is that regardless of how much of the bible we may know, how much we serve him, or how many past victories we have, we cannot walk with the lord without loving him. it is significant that of all the sins jesus points out in these seven, the first sin he names is the one that grieves him most: a loss of affection for him. our god is a jealous lover .
28 some argue that the seven letters are written to churches that have a mixture of both christians and non - christians. however, in a biblical sense churches never contain unbelievers. churches are not buildings or social gatherings. churches are assemblies of believers. since the lord was writing to churches, he was writing exclusively to believers. the word faith only occurs twice in these letters (rev 2: 13, 19) and in both cases it is affirming the fact that the readers already have faith, not calling them to believe. surely if these seven letters were addressed to unbelievers, we would find repeated calls to trust in christ. instead, we find none .
in high school, i used to wear pink shirts. don’t ask me why. i just liked pink at that time. i would often say, “real men can wear pink” (modestly implying that i was a “real man”). over the course of time, i changed my mind regarding my pink preference. this led me to no longer purchase pink shirts. in this case, the meaning of “repent” is clear: change your attitude toward your love for christ (2: 4). reverse your lackluster love into a burning love for the lord jesus. think about the depth of love you have for him. change your apathetic love to an appreciating love for him .
tom roston is a guest columnist for pov' s documentary blog. he is a former premiere magazine senior editor, who graduated from brown university and started his career in journalism at the nation and then vanity fair. tom' s freelance work has appeared in the new york times, the guardian, the los angeles times, the hollywood reporter and other publications. he has written several kindle singles, including the bestselling kindle singles interview: ken burns. tom' s current list of favorite documentaries are: 1. koyanisqaatsi by godfrey reggio; 2. hoop dreams by steve james; 3. stories we tell by sarah polley; 4. crumb by terry zwigoff; 5. montage of heck by brett morgen
what about this church did jesus know? jesus recognized their “deeds, toil, and perseverance” (2: 2a). these three words build upon one another. the word “deeds” (erga) refers to any action, task, or service. the word “toil” (kopos) is a word that means “to labor to the point of weariness. ” in other words, “deeds done all out”! this word stresses the depth or degree of their labor for the lord. the final word “perseverance” (hupomone) refers to the capacity or ability to endure, to remain under pressure or pain, over the long haul. this word stressed the extent of their labor (see 1 cor 15: 58). 12
satan gains entrance into the garden of eden, where he finds adam and eve and becomes jealous of them. he overhears them speak of god' s commandment that they should not eat the forbidden fruit. uriel warns gabriel and his angels, who are guarding the gate of paradise, of satan' s presence. satan is apprehended by them and banished from eden. god sends raphael to warn adam and eve about satan. raphael recounts to them how jealousy against the son of god led a once favored angel to wage war against god in heaven, and how the son, messiah, cast him and his followers into hell. he relates how the world was created so mankind could one day replace the fallen angels in heaven .
the ephesian church was an extremely orthodox church. they were strong in both doctrine and the work of the ministry. in 2: 2b, jesus says, “you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false. ” the church at ephesus refused to compromise their moral or doctrinal purity. 13 apostles may be understood here as almost equivalent to our modern term missionaries. the church had “put to the test” (cf. 1 john 4: 1) these visiting ministers and their doctrinal claims and had found them to be false. 14 they called a spade a spade. they could smell a heretic a mile off because they knew god’s word .
jesus returns with another word of praise: “yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the nicolaitans, which i also hate” (2: 6). though they had left their first love they had not left their former hatred for evil. jesus concludes by telling them to remain in the battle against sin. they are to remain true to the faith and resist false teaching. note how sensitive jesus’ heart is toward his church. he guards against deflating them by concluding with a note of praise. “you hate the deeds of the nicolaitans, which i also hate. ” in essence, jesus is saying, “we’re on the same team. we are a lot alike. we both hate the deeds of the nicolatians. keep at it! ”
the greek word translated “left” (aphiemi) means “to depart, leave alone, forsake, and neglect. ” it can also be used of divorce, 18 so the imagery here is very strong. when you lose your car keys, where are they? when you lose your sun glasses, where are they? if you think real hard about it, when you lose your car keys or your sunglasses, they’re right where you left them! and that’s the way it is with your first love for god. if you’ve lost it, guess where it is. it’s wherever you left it. jesus says, go back and find it. wherever it is, it’s still there because god hasn’t moved! he’s waiting for you to come back .
okay. mark byers is a wing - nut. so what. documentary # 1: documents a witch hunt. no question. i' m totally on board. new trial - let' s go. documentary # 2: perpetrates a witch hunt. drips with unintentional irony. that people can be put away for life and lethal injection based on no physical evidence or common sense even is chilling. that a documentary (and the convicted themselves) can then come along and blithely point fingers, also with no evidence, is no less chilling. and who are these internet activist people? do they have jobs or what? they are as asinine and loopy as byers. the filmmakers should have just left it at film # 1 and been done with it. but the awards and following went to their heads and they decided to crusade. ugh .
5. the call (2: 7a). jesus says, “he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. ” 26 note the change from an appeal to the individual, “he who has an ear, ” to the plural, “what the spirit says to the churches. ” this change broadens the appeal of each message to all the churches because the messages are representative and applicable to all of us. here, the spirit of god, who is the spirit of truth and the author and teacher of scripture, is calling on us to evaluate our openness to respond to the things that need to be learned and applied in these messages. in other words, he is saying, “it is not enough to have good intentions. you must follow through! ” to “hear what the spirit says” means to really listen and respond to what the spirit says. 27
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' we thought the story was going to come to an end a lot longer ago,' co - director joe berlinger tells mtv news .
we thought the story was going to come to an end a lot longer ago ,
co - director joe berlinger told mtv news by phone .
damien echols, jason baldwin and jessie misskelley — commonly referred to as the west memphis three — have been in prison for over 16 years, with echols due to die by lethal injection. many activists and several celebrities — including johnny depp, metallica and eddie vedder — believe the trio were wrongly convicted based more on their interest in heavy metal and stephen king books than the actual facts surrounding the case .
he e - mailed me, and we had several lengthy phone conversations. he' s been a supporter and he' s spoken with damien. i' ve gotten an e - mail from johnny probably once or twice a year since' 96 wanting updates on the case. he was one of the first people to say,' these guys aren' t still in prison, are they?' he was blown away by the movie when it first came out, and he couldn' t believe that nothing had changed.
paradise lost 2 : revelations is the 2000 sequel to the documentary film paradise lost : the child murders at robin hood hills , about the trial and conviction of three teenagers known as the west memphis three accused of murdering three young boys in a satanic ritual abuse . 
paradise lost 2: revelations is the 2000 sequel to the documentary film paradise lost: the child murders at robin hood hills, about the trial and conviction of three teenagers known as the west memphis three accused of murdering three young boys in a satanic ritual abuse.
paradise lost 2: revelations is the 2000 sequel to the documentary film paradise lost: the child murders at robin hood hills, about the trial and conviction of three teenagers known as the west memphis three accused of murdering three young boys in a satanic ritual abuse.