There is both good news and bad news about this film. The good news is that there is no profanity, no blaspheming, no sex, and the violence is minimal (and appropriate for the subject matter). Although it has a PG-13 rating due to the violence, it is a film that will appeal to all age groups. In fact, when I was in the theater, it was filled with a crowd whose ages were probably in the 60's and 70's. It was nice to see an older audience in the theater again, and I assumed they were basically a TBN crowd.

Technically the film is on par with any film the Hollywood studios put out. To see a film like this actually gives me hope as a filmmaker for the Christian film media, which I have so far avoided like the plague. Christian films of the past have been embarrassing in their lack of technical expertise for the sake of spreading their message. I applaud the filmmakers of The Omega Code for showing Hollywood that they can do films that look just as good (and for a lot less money!). The special effects done by Vision Arts, do the job intended, although with an effects budget of $1M out of a $7M picture, that kind of money can't go too far. It's always a pleasure to see Michael York back on the big screen, even if his slight hamminess for the cameras doesn't exude the Satanic forces that will be wholly empowering the world leader/antichrist in the end days. The cast is on Hollywood's "B" or "C" list, and of all the actors, the two I enjoyed the most were Jan Triska and Gregory Wagrowski who played the fearless two prophets of God. They interpretted their roles with quiet power, seeming to understand indeed the almighty power of God.

The movie is based on the idea of the controversial subject of Bible codes and taken to a fictional story of how those codes affect the world leader/antichrist and his rise to power. A story of the Bible codes might be interesting in a non-Tribulation setting, but here the importance of what's going on in the Tribulation is lost against the backdrop of the codes.

The movie poster uses the phrase, "Revelation foretold it, Nostradamus predicted it..." Maybe that phrase was put on there to draw in the secular crowd. But heck, why not say, "Jeanne Dixon predicted it....!" That was, in my opinion, poor judgement on the part of the advertising campaign folks, although I'm not going to get into all the reasons here why Nostradamus should never be included as an equal with anything that comes from the Bible.

For a story that takes place during the Tribulation, a lot of important things were left out.

1. The Rapture. As a pre-trib believing Christian, I have to assume when watching the film that the rapture has already occurred...because there certainly weren't any Christians in the film. Plenty of Jews and Muslims and New Agers, but nary a Christian to be seen. Still, the word "rapture" never is on screen, nor is the issue of when it occurs addressed for any of the beliefs about the event.

2. God's wrath. God's wrath doesn't just begin to pour out half way through the Trib, as in this film, in what is actually called "The Day of The Lord"/"The Great Tribulation" (the seven-year period should actually be correctly referred to as "The Seventieth Week of Daniel"). The judgement begins at the beginning of the seven year period. I would have like to have seen more of God's wrath pouring out and how the world leader/antichrist was dealing with that and maintaining control.

3. There was no mention of the famous "mark of the beast." This is an important point known even in the secular world, but nowhere makes it into this film. It is as significant as retelling the birth of Christ without the angel Gabriel visiting Mary.

4. For a guy who will have all the power of Satan at his desposal, this antichrist was pretty weak and relied on too much computer technology and surveillance rather than the supernatural stuff he is attributed to possess in Revelation.

5. There are two "beasts"/antichrists in Revelation. One is a prophet and one is a world leader. They share equal supernatural power, but in this film the prophet was subordinate and seemed to have no supernatural power. The world leader antichrist is spoken more of in prophecy, but the two are a team.

6. In this film the prophets of God kill the prophet/antichrist, but in Revelation neither of the beasts is killed. Both are thrown alive into the lake of fire when Christ returns.

7. The 144,000. Again, no mention of another important issue in Revelation.

8. The Woman who rides the beast. I've also always interpretted "the woman who rides the Beast" as basically the Catholic church (though in a very broad and ecumenically inclusive sense), and we know that the beast turns and devours her. I guess the filmmakers didn't want to offend the Catholics and chose not to open that can of worms. In this film she is just a woman and the antichrist never turns against her or destroys her.

9. As I mentioned earlier, I did like the two prophets. They didn't look like a Biblically-dressed Elijah or Moses, thank goodness, but just ordinary, modern day men. They seemed to exercise some supernatural powers, but not in any kind of public display. Revelation clearly states that when they are killed that the people around the world rejoice and exchange gifts--so happy that these two "troublemakers" are out of the way. But in this film they don't seem to cause any "trouble," except for keeping the final Bible code out of enemy hands. Hardly their real role in Revelation. I wonder, if Moses and Elijah are indeed the two prophets who return, are they offended by their roles and objectives in this film? Even more, is Jesus offended by this film?

I could go on and on with errors, but I've pointed out enough, certainly, to give folks enough of an idea of how much is wrong.

One very striking scene was of the world leader/antichrist declaring himself to be God inside the rebuilt temple, especially coupled with the two prophets coming in then and giving the quotes about the abomination of desolation, because finally FINALLY the Jews seem to get it! (as do the Muslims!) Although we see choas in the temple because the bad prophet shoots and kills the two prophets of God, the abomination doesn't cause the deep spiritual horror in the Jews that I would anticipate. That horror should send them fleeing to the hills, which no doubt they would have been told to do by the 144,000.

And what exactly is this apocalyptic ending at the end of the film? What are we to be assuming is happening? I know that Christ returns and defeats the two beasts and sets up His kingdom and renews the earth, but in the film we don't see Christ, and He's only alluded to for those "in the know."

I felt I saw more of the power of God in the movie RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK than I felt in this movie. And even in the animated film, THE PRICE OF EGYPT, the power of God is very evident (and I feel very blessed when I see that film). Maybe it takes a Jew to make a movie about the awesome manifested power and wrath of God--and in both of those cases it was Steven Spielberg!

I'm not sure it's the evangelistic tool TBN means it to be because I think its interpretation of Revelation is sloppy for the sake of the "code" idea. Theologically, it is unwise to confuse people that somehow Bible codes are needed to interpret end-time prophecy when Revelation clearly lays out the events and every chapter of the Bible points to the redemption of mankind via Jesus Christ. It may make some in the audience whip out their Bibles and turn to Revelation for more of the story, but on the other hand it may turn people onto the codes more than the Scriptures, and that would be a travesty. Although God can indeed bring more people into the Kingdom through this film, which is the underlying goal of the filmmakers, it would have been a lot better if the filmmakers had stuck to the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Last night (Oct. 19, 1999), I heard TBN say in unabashed arrogance that they had only received two negative reviews from viewers of the film and that those two viewers needed to be saved by the blood of Jesus! Well, I know plenty of Christians who are going to have a lot of serious problems with this film because of it's poor interpretation of Scripture. TBN, I am already saved by the blood. Get YOUR priorities straight.

The film is currently playing on 305 theater around the country, but after having a whopping opening weekend (averaging better per screen than the big Hollywood films), it may expand to up to 1000 theaters.

Just my two cents worth.