I’m certain I’m not a qualified cultural analyst, so do not claim I have this all nailed down. But I am convinced that the current interests in zombies (in TV, movies and video games) should at least be exposed to inquiry. Why has the macabre captured so much of the entertainment audience? Is horror a feeble attempt at catharsis or escape from the reality of death? Is it just simple irreverence for life? What explains this fascination? The question deserves some attention. Was Stephen King right when he said, “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones?”

I am convinced of this: This attraction may hand us an opportunity to talk about the truth about death. Death is defined in simple terms in James 2:26 – “…the body without the spirit is dead.” Death is our reality because “..in Adam all die,” (1 Cor. 15:22). No matter the advances we make in medical science and longevity, “…it is appointed for men to die once,” (Heb. 9:27). There is no biblical evidence that the spirits of dead men somehow revive, organize, consume human flesh and must be gunned down repeatedly.

For Christians, “to die is gain,” (Phil. 1:23), since in death we “depart” to be “with Christ,” (Phil. 1:23). Heaven is “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” (1 Pet. 1:3). That was written to Christians. Once in the heavenly realm, “…there will no longer be any death,” (Rev. 21:4). So, our devotion should be as expressed here: “…teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” (Psa. 90:12). And, “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints,” (Psa. 116:15).

It may be a good time to accept a biblical reality check!

By Warren E. Berkley
The Front Page
From Expository Files 20.2; February 2013

https://www.bible.ca/