LightGrams
March 14, 2019
Volume 23, Number 11
Zombies, of course, are not real; let’s get that off the table right now. The fiction that has developed around them, however, is very real. Since the premier of the movie “The Night Of The Living Dead” in 1968, there have been waves of fascination around the concept. “The Walking Dead”, a television series now in its ninth season, is proof.
There’s another meaning for “zombies” now; it refers to people who walk around with their attention fixed on the smartphone in front of them. Many have walked into trees or fallen into open manholes because they weren’t watching where they were going.
The city of Tel Aviv in Israel recently installed “zombie lights” in an attempt to keep people from walking in front of traffic while crossing a street. These LED light strips are embedded in the sidewalk, and display red, amber, and green to show when it’s safe to cross. One traffic engineer commented on this step, saying “We cannot force them to take their eyes out of the smartphone … We need to find ways to put the road into their eyes.” Australia, Singapore, and the Netherlands already have similar zombie lights.
Let’s move to another realm as we discuss “the walking dead”: many among us are spiritually dead because of sin (though they look perfectly alive on the outside). The apostle Paul spoke of this fact when discussing how the church should care for widows. Some, he wrote, must be avoided: “But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives” (1 Timothy 5:16). She would be, therefore, a dead woman walking.
In the world’s lore about zombies I’m not sure that the “walking dead” can ever be restored to life. In Christ, however, that is absolutely a possibility! After noting how the Christians in Colossae had been “buried with Him in baptism”, Paul wrote, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:12,13). The dead can live again! Our dead souls can be revived by the power of Jesus Christ.
The New Testament warns us against crossing over to the other side (of eternity) in this zombie-like condition. But how are people to know that they are spiritually dead, and that life is now possible through Christ? God has implemented lights to guide us to that safety. Someone, however, doesn’t want us to have that guidance.
“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4).
Without Christ we are among the walking dead. God’s light can guide us to safety.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2019, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “[email protected]” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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