Zombie movies. Vampire films. Crime shows. Violent video games. What’s the common thread? It appears that our culture is increasingly preoccupied with death. Somehow, I don’t think this is a good sign.

There are those who would tell us that the real zombie conspiracy involves government authorities covering up the coming zombie apocalypse, but I beg to differ. My concern is with the seeds of death that have been planted in the hearts of people who deep down inside desire life.

This current resurgence of our illogical fascination with death is but another rotten bite of the fruit from the proverbial apple. The serpent’s goal was to separate mankind from God, the one true source of life. Separation from life propels humanity in only one real direction—toward death. Not only did the human race die spiritually, not only do we die physically, but death becomes an unhealthy preoccupation.

Over the next several posts I’m going to explore the zombie conspiracy and its far reaching impact upon the human race. By recognizing the plan of death we are better able to orient ourselves to the true life of God.

Two trees grew in the center of the Garden of Eden—the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That there were two trees rather than one speaks loudly of the importance of freedom and choice in our relationship with God. But love wasn’t the only reason those trees were there. For God to create a truly harmonious society, an essential issue had to be dealt with: God is so amazing that all who look upon Him are tempted by the desire to be Him.

It was through such a desire that perhaps the greatest and most beautiful angel of all time fell to such morbid depths as to be called the devil, the embodiment of evil, the very presence of death. How it all began, we can only guess, but the Bible provides us with some prophetic imagery illustrating what came down:

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:12-14 (NASB)

Illustration for John Milton’s “Paradise Lost“ by Gustave Doré, 1866 – Public Domain

Many scholars believe that the star of the morning, Lucifer served as the worship leader in heaven. Standing near the throne of God, adorned in magnificent beauty, he led the entire host of heaven in glorious worship of their Creator. Somewhere along the line Lucifer looked at God’s beauty and preeminence, gazed over the myriads of angels bowing low in worship, and then riveted his attention on his own beauty (a beauty given by God). Immersed in the glory and majesty of it all, a simple seed thought began to grow until it consumed Lucifer’s entire being. He, and he alone, should be sitting on the throne of the universe, basking in the worship and adoration of the angels.

For His part, for reasons perhaps beyond us, the King of the universe remained silent as Lucifer schemed and plotted, recruiting a third of the angels for a planned coup against the one true source of life. The zombie conspiracy had begun.