Christian faith and its remarkable depths displayed in new film 'The 21'

A heart-wrenching new film recounts the beheadings 10 years ago this week of 21 Coptic Christians at the hands of ISIS Islamic radicals.   

And yet the film, simply titled "The 21," also tells the poignant story of the martyrs' incredible faith, how they were diligent to the end — and never once denied their Savior even unto death.

Producer Mandi Hart said, "I don't know that I'll ever get over imagining, in the course of 40-some-odd days of captivity, how many nanoseconds of opportunity they had to save their own lives. And to a man, all 21 of them were true to the end."

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Hart and the team at MORE Productions presented the 13-minute film at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., last week. It was a jolting reminder of how the events of Feb. 15, 2015, shocked the world — one, for the sheer horror of its staging, and two, because the Islamic radicals filmed the brutal slayings.

As a way to soften the horror and enhance the spirit of hope, "The 21" tells the story through animation — intercut with actual ISIS propaganda footage. 

But it's the imagery of the animation that gives it greater impact. The animation is in the style of Orthodox iconography — the paintings of the saints and of Jesus that adorn the iconostas, the screens in front of the altar, on the nave, the sanctuary and the dome of every Orthodox church in the world.  

Hart said, "We knew that we wanted a project that would reflect the cultural distinctiveness of the Coptic tradition, particularly its iconography."  

She called out its "function," as well as its architecture and community — and "the symbolism, colors, shapes and the way that iconography was actually all about creating an icon."

On a recent episode of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast, producer Mandi Hart spoke more about the making of "The 21" — and the transformative power of learning about what these men endured for their faith.

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They were simple laborers from Egypt, working in Libya, when ISIS members kidnapped them and demanded they denounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the only condition to secure their freedom. 

The men refused. For a month and a half, the men were tortured and abused. Then they were put in orange jumpsuits and paraded to a sandy hill where masked, knife-wielding radicals lined them up and took their lives.

Hart said the most barbarous part of the story is actually not in the new film. 

"They were actually beheaded one by one," she said. "And ISIS did that, hoping that … being killed in that gruesome way would persuade at least one of the men to recant, to save themselves by denying Christ. And none of them did. And actually one of the men asked to be the last one."  

Hart added with emotion, "There are no words [about] the depth of [their] faith. And it's been extremely challenging and convicting personally, too. I can't imagine myself in that position — and the fact that all of them were true to the end is just remarkable."

Hart purposely did not view the ISIS footage of the beheadings. It was just too much to take. But director Tod Polson did.

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He told Fox News, "The original video made by ISIS is surreal. I’ve only seen it once but …[it is] forever burned into my memory. It’s as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. Inspiring because the sacrifice of the martyrs is so total. It’s one thing to talk about their faithfulness. It’s another to see it demonstrated in close up." 

Polson also said, "Many of the martyrs' families play the original ISIS video in their homes on a loop. One of the complaints they have is that ‘The 21’ isn’t violent enough. They want people outside their community to know what their men went through."

ISIS filmed their abomination for the purpose of propaganda and power, believing they would usher in a new caliphate for the glory of Islam.  

But transcripts from interviews of ISIS members conducted by authorities revealed that there were other supernatural powers also at work on that sandy hill. 

This is new information.

Said Hart, "In the interviews with the former ISIS members, one in particular talks about earthquakes. He talks about shadowy figures being seen and some of the figures bearing swords, others dressed in certain ways accompanying the martyrs, particularly when the martyrs were on the beach."

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The film depicts those supernatural occurrences. 

The shadowy figures appear as angels of light, perhaps even Jesus Himself. 

On that sandy beach a decade ago, those men may have witnessed God’s holy army and the forces of Satan in their ancient battle. 

And at least one member of ISIS was shaken to the core.

Hart said one ISIS member was so terrified by what he saw that he fled. Reports are that he came to faith and was baptized. He remains in hiding, according to Hart.

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The larger story has been the display of the depths of faith of the entire Coptic community. "Coptic" means Egyptian. The Coptic are one of the original Christian Orthodox churches. 

For 2,000 years, they've been a persecuted church. 

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And some scholars, said Hart, think they've had millions of martyrs over the course of their history, past and present. 

The 21 martyrs asked that Jesus forgive their killers — just as Jesus said, while being crucified, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

At a time when it’s more acceptable to publicly profane the name of Jesus than to praise Him, the film shows the power of that name — and how the men relied on it for strength, for hope.

Hart reflected on the greater good that came out of such evil. 

She said the Coptic archbishop of London, Archbishop Angaelos, told her to think about when that former ISIS member who became a believer dies. 

Those 21 Coptic men will welcome him into heaven as their brother — as only in Christ can natural-born enemies become one people.