Sin, leap of faith, redemption, salvation

Rating: 5/10 (4 March 2018)

When you finish seeing the movie, most are left with a letdown feeling of "huh, that was it?"
On further thinking, it is apparent that all who entered are flawed. Hinting was given at the beginning of the movie referring to all of man as fundamentally flawed, leading to death.
A team of people decide they want to enter the "shimmer", the unknown. All have their own fundamental issues of destruction of their selves. Each can be seen as a flaw that leads to ultimate death. They are all self destructive, yet they don't want to die.
We learn after they took the leap of faith to enter the shimmer, that all things are made new. They become a new creation. Similar to faith in Christ, where you die to your old self, and are born again as a new creation.
We also learn, that all things in the shimmer are connected to the vine, yet are all still very different beings. This is like when we, as believers, are all grafted to the vine of Christ. It is not us bearing fruit, but Christ to which we are grafted. This is illustrated and pointed out very soon after they entered the shimmer. Just as everything becomes part of the same body, as Christians we also become one body (the "alien").
Just like when we die on earth, nobody ever comes back. It is a moving on to be new creations in Heaven. Just like in the shimmer. And some, even though they get a glimpse of what heaven is, and new creation, they don't go all the way to the "light".
There is further reference to heaven, as they get close to the "light" (lighthouse). The crystal all around is like the pearly white gates to Heaven. And you get to see Kane, die to his old self, and then become new again.
The second Kane is a reference to Christ being the second Adam, and Lena being a second Eve. They are not the old creations that they used to be, but new Creations.
There are other themes, like the significance of blood (blood of Christ) to the "shimmer", sanctity of marriage, our flawed selves and how to save mankind.
A key line in the movie is spoken by Kane, "God doesn't make mistakes". This is true. Our faults are our own doing. What can save us from our own destruction? Lena answers that when asked, "What does the alien want". Her reply, "nothing, it is not destroying, it is creating anew".
Or maybe it was just a bad ending in need of redemptive interpretation... you decide.