n be seen as the only place that the existing humans have left that is not destroyed or decaying. In The Pilgrims Progress, Christian is on a journey to discover a way to be relieved of his "burden". He has been told that if he travels to Zion, the celestial city, he will be relieved of this burden.12 Zion is also noted in The Holy Bible as Heaven, the kingdom of God.13 Another reference to The Pilgrims Progress in The Matrix is that of the Oracle representing the Interpreter. Christian is told that the Interpreter "will show [him] excellent things that will help [him] on [his] journey.14 This is exactly what the Oracle does for Neo. She tells him exactly what he needs to hear and nothing more. The Oracle tells Neo that he is not "the one". She says that maybe he will be in his next life. This causes Neo to be more willing to risk his life to save Morpheus life. Neo is eventually killed and then resurrected to become "the one". Hence, the Oracles prophecy was correct. This is very similar to what the Interpreter tells Christian. In this meeting Christian learns all that he needs to know to successfully continue on his journey.15 Another biblical reference of The Matrix is that of the rebel ship, the Nebuchadnezzar.16 In The Holy Bible, Nebuchadnezzar was a Babylonian king that destroyed Jerusalem.17 This is not one of the strongest biblical references of the film because Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the holy city, but it is closely related to the rebel forces using the ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, to destroy the matrix.The character of Cypher is intended to represent Judas Iscariot in The Holy Bible.18 Judas, also known as "Devil Man", is one of Jesus disciples. Judas is the disciple that betrayed Jesus and gave his life to the Jews that murdered him. This is very similar to Cyphers betrayal towards Morpheus. The name Cypher even has a sadistic connotation to it, being a shortened version of Lucifer.19 In The Matrix...
