The Living Dead Walk

Zombies are in vogue. For some reason people are fascinated by the "living dead". Movies are made where the walking dead stalk the living. Their goal seems to be to lunch on fresh blood. Television has joined in and people can entertain themselves by watching dead people stumble and meander around. Although they move slower than the slowest living person, somehow they are always able to catch up with the living. There is no antidote for the living dead. Death is final.

I have a profound thought for you! We are all born as "the living dead"! The minute we are born we start to physically die, but worse yet, we are born dead. "Not me!", you say. Yes, we all are born dead yet we breath, walk and live. We all meander around searching for "fresh blood"; some sin to feed upon.

Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

To save the reader much study, this is called "original sin". Because our forebears sin, we inherited it.

Matt Perlman in Imputed and Original Sin sums us my contention that we all inherit Adam's sin:

 "Scripture says that we are born sinners and that we are by nature sinners
Psalm 51:5 states that we all come into the world as sinners: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." Ephesians 2:2 says that all people who are not in Christ are "sons of disobedience." Ephesians 2:3 also establishes this, saying that we are all "by nature children of wrath." If we are all "by nature children of wrath," it can only be because we are all by nature sinners--for God does not direct His wrath towards those who are not guilty. God did not create the human race sinful, but upright. But we fell into sin and became sinful due to the sin of Adam.
Scripture speaks of humans as unrighteous from infancy
There are also verses which declare that we are all unrighteous from the time that we are born. Proverbs 22:15 says "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child." Genesis 8:21 declares, "...the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth." 

We are all born into sin. Babies have an inherent disposition toward wrong. It's a defense mechanism used to protect what we all cherish most, even above God; the idol of "Self". Babies will steal (toys, cookies, etc.), hit and have anger fits; then lie about the actions or repeat the emotions. We are all "children of wrath" because we tend toward anger. Yes, we've all sinners, babes not excluded:

"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) 

Because we all have sinned our punishment is death. Unless we get the antidote we're all dead! "But", you say "I'm alive!" Your flesh may live yet your soul is dead. From the moment Adam sinned his soul died because he disobeyed the Original Commandment! Adam was born with the Holy Spirit residing in him, but when he chose to believe Satan rather than God, he died and so did we! God's Spirit, which resided in Adam, left him. His soul became empty. Adam died that day! Adam did it to himself and when we sin, we do it to ourselves:

Proverbs 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

Not only do those who are in sin block out the Holy Ghost from re-entering the soul, but by doing so, they have antipathy for God who is trying to restore the person from death. Subsequently, the sinner loves death! They prefer to be the walking dead. That's their destiny! In contradiction to those who say "my body yet lives", it's only for a spell until the body joins the spirit and the walking dead die a physical death.

What's strange, poetic justice if you prefer, that when the sinner's body dies, the soul comes alive. With death the soul lives. However, it's not life that we enjoy, but a living death where the soul meanders for eternity in hell fire wishing, as the zombie does, that it could die. Scripture actually points toward the flesh being restored onto the sinner in hell and it too suffers with the soul! Those in hell are truly the "living dead", but their wish is that they were the "dead dead"! Why are people punished?

Romans 6:23a "For the wages of sin is death;"

This is God's justice. By grace God provides the antidote for death, but most refuse to accept it. It seems there are side effects to the antidote which their sinful bodies hate: obedience, forbearance, love, righteousness, meekness, etc. It seems that like most medicines the side effects are numerous! There are twelve to be exact. They are the "fruits of the spirit". The side effects counteract the original disease. They counteract the fruits of "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" which are many!  Let's finish the passage:

Romans 6:23  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We don't know if Adam has eternal life or not. He may, but we just don't know. However, we don't have to make the same mistake. The minute we accept the antidote "the gift of God" by accepting that Jesus died in our place, then we shall have eternal life! The blood of Jesus revives the dead. Just as Jesus raised the walking dead man Lazarus, his  blood shall revive us all, not just for a spell, but for eternity!

While those who are walking dead today will die only to be revived as walking dead again, we can, through Christ, be alive right now. We shall be the "the alive living" and we shall remain that way for eternity. Rather than seeking "the flesh" to keep us going, we shall live by faith! Faith is what keeps the alive living!

Zombies are fiction aren't they? Not so!

Matthew 27:52 "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose..."

When Jesus died the dead arose! They lived because Jesus died. They were what the counterculture calls zombies, but they weren't like those portrayed in entertainment. They came back as evidence! They came to show the "living dead" that the antidote to death had just occurred. Jesus died that we might live!

Can you imagine Herod's family when John the Baptist confronted them? Perhaps Salome saw him since Herod was walking dead in hell by that time. Rather than having an aura of death, hope and promise were with those who were dead yet arose! Who knows what happened to them? Nobody, but I an tell you that they kept walking, then arose to heaven and are there now with Jesus. They are the "living alive" and are joyous and vibrant! We can be as they are! Take the antidote. It won't hurt. It won't even sting a little bit. It defeats the sting of death!

1 Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."