davidbowerkingwood

Zombie Apocalypse, a Cautionary Tale

Far too often we are seeing reports these days of violence and mayhem as the media shows protests and demonstrations around the United States; angry mobs destroying property and yelling epithets capture the headlines on the evening news. Pictures on the media, like the pictures and videos from NBC News.com, “Protests, Violence Prompt UC Berkeley to Cancel Milo Yiannopoulos Event” could very well serve as promotional shots for the next zombie movie as they are so graphic and violent. You can find more here: Berkeley Riot

Is it possible that these violent outbursts can be stopped; is there anything that can be done to reverse the dangerous paths these elements of our society have chosen to follow? I believe there is one answer but only one that will really work; it is that answer I would like to consider here.

The violence and anger we are seeing on the media is not the real source of the problem but only a symptom of the basic problem. If we are to find a cure for these symptoms it is absolutely necessary that we first address the true source of the problem; our fallen sin nature and the dead spirit with which we are born. Only as we cure the disease of sin will the symptoms disappear!

There is Healing Available

The following is written to reaffirm the vital significance of the second birth. The Bible is clear that the only way to be reconciled to God is to be born again. This is the whole point of Jesus’ response to a noted Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin on the occasion of his first visit to meet the Lord.

The night Nicodemus secretly came to see the Lord, the first recorded words the Lord said to him was: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” This was not a proper response to what Nicodemus had said to the Lord, “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Instead of responding to what Nicodemus said the Lord tells him he needs to be born again. Keep in mind Nicodemus was an important man in Jerusalem; not only a Pharisee, a religious leader of the Jews, but a member of the Jewish ruling body, the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus was probably considered to be a good and worthy man but this was not the point; regardless of how good and worthy he may have been it was necessary for him to be born again if he was ever to see the Kingdom of God.

No matter how worthy, good, religious or important Nicodemus was, he was spiritually dead and could never see the Kingdom of God unless he was born again and became spiritually alive. One might ask how he got into that mess and the simple answer is he was born into it and had no choice. He died spiritually in Adam when Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden; he and every other human being born of an earthly father is counted as having spiritually died at that point in time. This is just as true now as it was the night Jesus spoke those words to Nicodemus and applies to every human being, born of an earthly father, who has ever walked the face of the earth.

What does this mean for us today? It means the world is composed of two classes of human beings, those who have a living spirit by reason of being born again and those who have a dead spirit because they have not received Jesus Christ as Savior and been born again. Those spiritually dead are in the truest sense the “Walking Dead.”

The Zombies Among Us

A popular subject today for both movies and TV horror shows is the zombie. Collins English Dictionary defines zombie as: “a zombie is a dead person who has been brought back to life.”

I can honestly say I have never watched a zombie movie or TV show and never plan to. If one is surfing the TV it is sometimes difficult to avoid scenes of zombies staggering around threatening the living humans in the story.

While this is fiction it is always easy to spot the zombies as they slowly stagger around looking totally grotesque. Unfortunately the zombies in real life, those who are spiritually dead, can often, run faster and look more beautiful or handsome that those who are spiritually alive.

The real life situation is further complicated by the fact that the living can sometimes act like the dead and the dead can act like the living as we observe them. While God knows precisely who is alive and who is dead it can be difficult for us to always tell which is which by casual observation.

What is the Impact of this Situation?

Looking back at Nicodemus we see a man who was apparently wealthy, important, and religious but dead so how would spiritual life impact him? The third chapter of John ends with these words:

³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

From this we may conclude that even though Nicodemus was possibly wealthy, important and religious he was also under God’s wrath. The only way to be free of God’s wrath was and is to be born again by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

What then is the endgame concerning God’s wrath? This is explained in Revelation 20:11-15 where it is written:

“¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

No words can adequately convey the horror of this scene; the impact of rejecting salvation in Jesus Christ is terrifying beyond the wildest imagination. There are implications for time as well; the spiritually dead simply cannot comprehend the deeper meanings of the Bible as spiritual truth is taught by God, the Holy Spirit. To the spiritually dead the good news of God is foolishness. We read in 1 Corinthians 1:18 “¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

It is unwise to expect those who are spiritually dead to be moved or changed by Bible doctrine; there is only one message to them and that is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. If they cannot or will not take that step of faith then trying to move on to the deeper teachings of Scripture is only an exercise in futility.

How Does this Apply Today?

We are seeing something of a return to Christian principles today; slowly, slowly Christianity is beginning to emerge from a morass of liberal progressivism that has sought to suppress the Christian influence in our nation. Only by God’s grace toward this nation will that emergence have any hope of success. There is a fierce outcry from those who have worked so hard to promote the non-Christian agenda of the liberal progressives; the media is filled with their indignation and fury as they organize and protest a return to Christian principles.

Several times during the history of the United States God has granted us revival as a nation. I am convinced that only a spiritual revival with souls being saved in large numbers can enable this nation to turn the corner and survive. Only God can bring the zombies to life again; let us focus our defense on the Gospel and the hope that salvation brings both individually and collectively.