Hope

Rating:
Summary: A marvelous look at the Gospel in its full Biblical context
Review: The Hope is not a movie; it is an evangelistic documentary which, in just 78 minutes, actually does a pretty amazing job of explaining God's plan for man from the act of creation all the way to the present time. Three multicultural narrators describe and offer commentary on 36 key events of Biblical history, events represented by scenes taken from a number of religious motion pictures and videos made over the years. Obviously, many religious producers and distributors came together to make this video a reality. The Hope's purpose is to make the Gospel story more accessible to people all over the world; while its beautiful simplicity can sway the heart of someone unfamiliar with the story, the video also manages to put forth subtle yet highly meaningful thoughts and ideas that can benefit the most devout of men and women.

Clearly, you can only do so much in 78 minutes, and The Hope gives equal time to both the Old and New Testaments. It discusses creation, the fall of Lucifer and the introduction of sin into man's heart in the Garden of Eden, Noah and the Great Flood, and the Tower of Babel before exploring the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. It then describes the almost endless cycle of the Hebrew people's turning away from God, their divine punishment for this, and their eventual (yet always temporary) reconciliation with the Lord; this serves to frame the entry of the Messiah onto the earthly scene very effectively. Jesus' life and ministry are summarized quite well, his betrayal and crucifixion are presented in a somber, moving fashion, and a true sense of joy is conveyed in the wake of Jesus' resurrection. The great strength of The Hope is its clear explanation of how everything addressed here and elsewhere in the Bible relates to the coming of the Messiah. For those who sometimes struggle to see how the earliest of Biblical stories relate to everything Jesus was and did, The Hope offers real enlightenment. This is just a superb video with a great deal to offer. Other videos offer a more detailed study of Jesus, but I know of no better overview of the central and most important message of the Bible as a whole than The Hope.