Image of the Beast (1980)

Director:

Donald W. Thompson

Writers:

Russell S. Doughten Jr. (writer)
Donald W. Thompson (writer)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

This prophetic series began with "A THIEF IN THE NIGHT," then came "A DISTANT THUNDER" ...and now the MIGHTIEST of them all... ...as the story continues

Plot:

Third and best known entry in the Mark IV series of fundamentalist apocalypse films. Fundamentalist...

Plot Keywords:

Christian | Antichrist | Rapture Aftermath | Religion | Christian Film

Cast

  (Credited cast)

William Wellman Jr.	...	David Michaels
Susan Plumb	...	Kathy
Patty Dunning	...	Patty Myers
Russell S. Doughten Jr.	...	Reverend Matthew Turner
Wenda Shereos	...	Leslie
Thom Rachford	...	Jerry Bradford (as Tom Rachford)
Maryann Rachford	...	Diane Bradford
Sandy Christen	...	Sandy Stevens
David Crabtree
Ben Sampson
Justin Craig
Herb Brown		(as Herbert Brown)
Ty Hardin	...	The Missionary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kenneth J. Bussanmas	...	Acolyte

Also Known As:

A Thief in the Night III: Image of the Beast (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Company:

Mark IV Pictures Incorporated

Quotes:

Diane Bradford: Rotten little religious fanatic! My grinning face is gonna be the last thing you ever see before your head falls in the basket!

Movie Connections:

Follows A Distant Thunder (1978)

Probably the Best of the Four-Part Series

Being a Christian believer, I can't help but be interested in this four-part series. There are several ways to interpret the Book of Revelation. There is the Pre-Millennial interpretation (one I subscribe to) in which one accepts a literal Second Coming of Christ prior to a thousand year period in which the whole earth is directly ruled by Jesus Christ and then there is a New Earth and New Heaven established in which universal peace endures forever. Other Christians may subscribe to an A-Millennial view in which the prophesies of Revelation are often taken to be metaphorical even though the Second Coming of Christ remains a literal event in the future. And then, there is the Post-Millennial view in which some Christians believe that the Church on earth establishes the Kingdom of God through evangelism and conversion which eventually climaxes in the Second Coming of Christ.

However, the question remains is what are the events that occur prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus Christ Himself does say that there is a period of time leading up to this event that involves a great deal of travail on earth such as "wars and rumors of wars". The details of these events are what sincere Christian believers often debate. Is the beast mentioned in Revelation 13 the same entity as the "little horn" described in the Book of Daniel ? Is this some future world dictator ? Is the mark described in Revelation some sort of devious ID that people will be required to possess in order to "buy or sell"? Will Christian believers be raptured from this distress or will they go through it ? Does the Book of Revelation 16:16 describe the last world war on earth ? Does the Book of Daniel give a geopolitical description of events as we know them today ? One thing is certain. Much of this would have been impossible during the first century AD due to the lack of technology at the time. Some sincere Christians believe that the "beast" of Revelation may be a metaphor for Nero, an antichrist of his time. But as far as I know, no one had to bear some sort of mark in order to buy or sell even though they had to burn incense to Caesar. Its is possible that the Book of Revelation may contain double references to events during the time of the Roman Empire and to events in the 21st century. However, due to the accelerating advances in technology, the world does seem to be rushing towards some sort of climax in terms of human history at a rate unheard of in past human eras. However we may interpret the Book of Revelation and other passages of prophesy in both the Old and New Testaments, we Christians should always be on the watch (as Jesus Himself says - "He will come like a thief in the night") and be prepared for His Return. However, debating the details should not be a distraction to the true meaning of the Christian Gospel. There was a time a few decades ago in which people who disagreed on Biblical interpretation (Pre-Millennial vs. A-Millennial,for example)would not talk to each other. And these people would no doubt be sincere Christian believers, but they would permit their level of disagreement to sow division, something which should not happen in a Christian community. We should be focusing on how to improve our Christian walk and the way we show our Christian love in the way we treat other people in our lives. And above all, we should remember the central root of our Faith, namely, that Jesus Christ is God in human form, He became a man, and paid the penalty for ALL of our sins for all time to provide eternal salvation to those who accept and believe in Him. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, He is Lord, and the Father raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). In the company of Christian believers and as witnesses to the world, this cannot be emphasized enough.

Dan Basinger