I have recently finished reading the “Twilight” series by Stephanie Meyers and was pleasantly surprised. As a youth pastor I needed to understand why so many teens were into this book series, so as a voracious reader myself I undertook the reading of her books. Many teen boys don’t like the vampire heroes of the book as they are “Vegan” (don’t attack humans) and sparkle in the sunlight. It is not hard to get over that as most teen boys seem to react to the things that teen girls really really like… Justin Beiber would be a case in point, but that is for another time.
SPOILER ALERT… if you are planning on reading the series please read no further as I’m going to spoil key plots in the next few paragraphs.
Why do girls like this book? For many good reasons! They can identify with Bella’s struggles with self identity, broken family, and a sense of unworthiness to be loved supremely and unconditionally by someone like Edward (the main vampire and her love interest).
The book takes many twists and turns in the relationship between Edward and Bella, but in the end if that relationship is to continue then Bella will need to become a vampire. In the last book Bella takes the vampire venom into her system to save her life from a dramatic situation which I wont get into at this time.
The process that Stephanie Meyers goes on to describe is very unique and unforgettable. The pain of Bella’s body succumbing to the venom and the process of her body dying ends up transforming into something absolutely beautiful.
Bella can finally open her eyes after body wracking pain that seems to last an eternity and it is a whole new world. She sees things more clearly! Everything is absolutely beautiful and when she looks at herself in the mirror for the first time as a changed being she can’t believe that the beautiful person looking back is actually her! The dust motes in the air have such incredible texture and even the fabric weave grabs her attention. The same old same old has become the fantastic.
Then she looks at Edward. The one she has loved so deeply, the one she thought she knew, the one she had looked at so many times … and it’s as if she had never seen him before. Suddenly she sees him for his true beauty!
I could go on and on about how amazing a work that Stephanie Meyers did in describing Bella’s first few days of being a vampire. I could tell you about her new found strength, agility, stamina, beauty, and all her adventures of this strange old/new world, but that isn’t what I’m here to share with you today.
As I read the stunning tale and was blown away by her account of discovery of this new and wonderful body she had been given it hit me like a ton of bricks!
THIS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE RESURRECTION BODY THAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US!
The pain of dying or the fear before hand seems to be part of both processes as does the idea that when we wake up afterward it’s going to be spectacular!! Paul said himself that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He should know, because some scholars believe that when they left him for dead after stoning him that he actually did die, but was brought back to life. That would surely explain his inside information on heaven and his strong desire to return to heaven.
One of the benefits to our glorified bodies is instead of having to hunt for blood continually (if you don’t mind comparing this to the sacrificial system of the Old Testament), we are covered in the blood of Christ and His one time sacrifice covers us forever. It’s hard to say what other things we may be able to do with our Resurrected body, but we know its different than what we have now! Impervious to death, maybe the ability to suddenly appear and leave places? It’s very exciting!
Surely we are some of the most distracted creatures in the world here in North America. We have forgotten something important. We have become so enamored with vampires and the immortality supernatural fantasy creatures have only to forget that they are only a pale imitation to what those in Christ already have.
Let me make a bold statement. If you have Christ in you and you follow Him and are his son/daughter you have a deeper more full immortality than the greatest fantasy science fiction writer could ever come up with.
Fellow immortal, this life you have been given here on Earth is just for a short time. Make it count and realize that this life here on Earth is not forever. The struggles you face now are temporal (temporary) and all of Earth groans for the coming of the Bridegroom and eternal new life!
There is more I could say, but I want this blog to trigger your mind and your imagination. I want it to send you to scriptures and examine what Christ’s glorified body was like and what He could do. So remember this though, your body may die and you may suffer, but at the end of the age you will be Immortal in Christ serving at His side for all eternity and you won’t have to sparkle in the sunlight!