Recently, I was shopping in our local Walmart when I noticed a group of young people hanging out and talking excitedly in the book section of the store. I listened in as they talked about a new Twilight book series written by Stephenie Meyer, a 35-year-old, Graduate of Brigham Young University, who claims she was inspired by a “vivid” dream on June 2, 2003.
Storyline
It’s a fictitious story about a teenage girl named Bella who moves in with her father, a police officer in the town of Forks in Washington State (real place). While attending school she meets a strange, young man named Edward. What she doesn’t know is Edward is a 108-year-old reformed vampire, who has chosen, against his dark nature, to feed on animal blood instead of human blood. This decision does not come without a daily struggle. In time, Bella and Edward become romantically involved. Edward succeeds in wooing her with his superhuman strength, watch care and love. Finally the story climaxes with Edward saving Bella from an evil group of unreformed vampires.
Divine Romance
I asked the young people I met in Walmart what they found so attractive about this series. One of them responded and they all agreed, “It is a beautiful story of romance between a supernatural being and a mortal one.” Apparently, there is veracious hunger in our world today for more than just another “chick flick.” There is a craving, a deep thirst for a real and divine romance! Often the first religion that promises to meet that need is the one that wins the human heart. Whether it be Wicca, Mormonism, Scientology, Islam or Christianity.
The Bible says we were wired for intimacy with God. “O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You, my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is” (
Like the woman at the well, who tried multiple relationships, but felt as empty as the jar she carried, the youth of this generation are passing from one human relationship to the next, finding very little satisfaction apart from a romance with God. Like Mick Jagger the lead singer for The Rolling Stones, they just “can’t get no satisfaction.” Interestingly, it was only after the young woman encountered Jesus that she found fulfillment and joy and was able to go back to her town saying “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
T.L.C.
But how does one have a romance with God? The answer is, it starts with T.L.C. daily and grows from there!
In any relationship including a divine one there must be TALK. We must tell God about ourselves. One author puts it like this: “Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend.” I am always amazed at how honest King David was with God. Throughout most of the Psalms you can read his unedited prayers. He talks freely about his fears, joys, sorrows and at times even his disappointments with God! “Why, oh Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
Next we need to LISTEN to God. It is impossible to have a growing friendship or romance with someone you don’t listen to. Yet so often, we talk to God but fail to listen to Him. This has kept many from deepening their divine romance. Recently, I read the following statistic that 98 percent of Americans own a Bible but only 11 percent read it daily. We need to make time every day to stop talking and start listening. We listen to God by reading the greatest “twilight series” ever written the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, it is the story of God’s desire to romance us! It’s true that God speaks through many venues (music, people, circumstances, etc.), but by the Bible only we can safely discern His voice! For those who have just started or want to start reading the Bible, I suggest the One Minute Bible. The reading selections are short, and this particular Bible will answer the question, “Where do I begin reading?” Or you might choose to buy a study guide at your local Christian book store that leads you through the Bible in year.
Finally, we must obey his COMMANDS. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” Here is where many sabotage their romance with God. Although they know the lifestyle choices they are making are out of harmony with God’s will, they continue in them and wonder why their prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.” We can’t continue to steal, commit adultery, and ignore God’s other commands and expect to have a deepening romance with Him. To walk deeply with Christ, we must turn away from sin and by the power of His Spirit live obediently to His commands. In fact, when we walk in the Spirit, obedience to God’s commands “are not burdensome.” The Bible teaches that genuine faith has feet! If we truly believe Jesus is our Savior, we will also follow Him as our Lord. Interestingly the 144,000 of Bible prophecy who are ready to meet Jesus at His Second Coming have a deep romance with God. The Bible says, “…they follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”
Twilight Signs
Besides our internal hunger for a divine romance, the signs of the times also bid us to draw closer to Christ. Bible prophecy tells us we are living in the very twilight of earth’s history! Jesus predicted that just before His coming, many would become cold hearted. I recently read about a 17-year-old boy named Daniel Petric who murdered his mother in cold blood because she took away his Halo 3 video game! Recently, I read in Walt Mueller’s book, Youth Culture 101, that experts in “Killology”–military trainers who teach youth to “circumvent” their inhibition to kill other humans in combat, say we are unconsciously conditioning our youth through video games to murder.
Who hasn’t been appalled by the frequent and violent terrorist attacks done in the name of God and religion? Actually the Bible teaches that the closer we get to God the warmer, not colder, our hearts become toward others, even our enemies! In the book of James, religion is defined in terms of kindness toward humanity.
As a kid, I loved to play the “Getting-Warmer Game.” I would hide an item from someone and then “help” them find it by saying, “You’re getting colder,” or “warmer,” or “hot.” As we get close to Christ and discover a romance with Him, our love for others also will move from colder, to warmer to hot! Yes, we are truly living in the twilight of earth’s history. Jesus also predicted that just before His coming people will be “seduced” by doctrines of demons. The Twilight saga itself is a fulfillment of this prophecy. It is a twisted commentary on
Like Satan, Edward offers Bella an opportunity to have a forbidden relationship with Him. Like Eve, Bella takes the forbidden fruit and is eventually bitten by her lover, but rather than experiencing shame, fear, pain and death as Eve did, Bella becomes an immortal vampire herself. This clearly echoes the first lie in the garden, “You will not surely die.”
In the Garden of Eden, Satan also claimed that eating the forbidden fruit would give Eve god status. Instead, the Bible teaches the only enlightenment she experienced was the realization she was naked. However, in the Twilight series, Bella becomes an immortal being once bitten by Edward. This is no surprise, when one considers the author is an elite Mormon, who graduated from Brigham Young University and probably believes as one of her church’s prophets states: “As Man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.” If there was ever a time to challenge the youth in our care to start a divine romance with God it would be now!
Conclusion
However, twilight does not have to mean sundown, doom and gloom. Twilight can mean romance! When I think of romance, I think of a couple walking down the beach hand in hand bathed in twilight.
When we have a romantic relationship with Jesus Christ, not only does our heart find fulfillment, but Bible prophecy no longer frightens us. It actually brightens us as we anticipate an eternity with the Lover of our souls! It’s no longer doom and gloom but candles and candy! When we hear of hearts growing cold, doctrines of demons, the anti-Christ, the mark of the beast, the seven last plagues, we don’t tremble anymore. Instead, we lift up our heads, because our redemption is drawing near! Soon, and very soon, we will be reunited with the lover of our souls: the One who shed His blood so we might have a divine romance with Him!
