Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking is a 1995 American crime drama film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, and co-produced and directed by Tim Robbins, who adapted the screenplay from the non-fiction book of the same name. Sister Helen Prejean (Sarandon) establishes a special relationship with Matthew Poncelet (Penn), a character based on convicted murderers Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie. He is a prisoner on death row in Louisiana, and she visits him as his spiritual adviser after having corresponded with him.

I won't reveal the ending if you have not seen this film. It must be a great burden upon one's soul to know that you have been convicted to die and there are no more appeals to commute the sentence. The gavel has hit the Judge's desk for the last time and except for divine intervention, the person truly is a dead man walking, waiting for his last breath upon this earth.

There are many dead men walking on this earth. Sadly, many do not realize that they are dead men walking. Remember Abiathar. He was a relative of Eli. A prophecy was pronounced against Eli that involved Abiathar and fulfilled by Solomon. From the death of Eli until Solomon commanded his priesthood be taken from him. Abiathar was already condemned and was in effect, a dead man walking. Solomon said to him, "thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted". The priesthood was taken away from Abiathar who had descended from Eli and instead was given to Zadok who was a descendant of Eleazar, a son of Aaron (1 Kings 2:27, 35).

We are born in sin. The Bible declares that death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression (Romans 5:14, 17, 21) Any soul that has not accepted Jesus as Lord, the Son of the Living God, is a dead man walking. Are you?