The Bible talks a lot about some Stranger Truths that the show Stranger Things alludes to. If you ever read the book This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti, about a little town named Ashton, which is a pivotal center for a war between unseen angels and demons, then you might be picking up what I’m laying down.
The fictional towns of Hawkins in Stranger Things and Ashton in This Present Darkness have a lot in common. In Stranger Things, Hawkins is the place where the Upside Down, an ethereal realm full of badness, is trying to break through into our world and take over the place.
The Bible talks about the Upside Down in its own way. The Apostle Paul wrote about the real Upside Down in the biblical book of Ephesians in chapter 6. He put it this way: “For we are not fighting against mere flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities off the unseen world (The Upside Down), against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the hidden heavenly places.”
Paul said we have an enemy. He was God's enemy first--and then he declared war on God's creation--mankind.
Or People-kind if you're Justin Trudeau.
But I digress.
The Bible teaches that Satan used to be a good angel, Lucifer, the son of the morning, a beautiful and powerful angel. Then he got uppity and decided that he wanted to be God. Problem is there is only one God--stop applying for his job. So when Lucifer rebelled and tried to take over heaven there was a great war in the heavenly realms and God defeated Lucifer and he was thrown out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). Lucifer became Satan, which means adversary or enemy. Jesus tells us that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and that he is on a mission to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:9).
Paul tells us that there is indeed a real ethereal realm that we can’t see that is ruled by dark princes who want to take out the human world. Like the fictional Upside Down, this real Vale of Shadows is where the dark forces who hate all that is good plot against us. If you watch Stranger Things you will remember that the Upside Down is almost in the room you are in but it is dark and cold. This is how the Bible often talked of the heavenly or unseen realms. The Bible says things like, “An angel stepped out of heaven” and into our world. Not “down from” heaven but “out of” heaven. Another dimension right next door.
In Stranger Things the Demogorgon reaches out from the Upside Down and kidnaps young Will Byers who is played by the amazing Noah Schnapp. In the Bible we are told that mankind is captive to the darkness of sin just like Will Byers is trapped in the darkness of the ethereal dimension.
The Upside Down has mankind in its grip. This truth explains why the world has gone so very dark and continues to get darker. Just watch the news and you will see what I mean. What else could inspire such hatred and racism and something so dark as the murder of innocent children in schools by men gone mad, wielding weapons that governments are incompetent to regulate. Mankind has gone dark. Romans 1:21 says that sin has made our minds dark and confused.
There are forces led by Satan, the enemy of God and man, and these forces inspire this evil in mankind. This army of sin holds people captive to their anger and bitterness and violence and addiction and abuse and war. These forces from the Upside Down exist to steal joy, wipe out human life and destroy everything that is good. The Upside Down tricks us into stepping into its trap of sin. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin (John 8:34). The book of Proverbs says “An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him”(Proverbs 5:22).
The Upside Down’s biggest strength is the fact that it is unseen. No one quite believes Will’s mom, Joyce Byers, when she tells them that Will has been kidnapped, and that he is just outside her reach in the dark realm around them. She knows he is there. She can hear her lost boy crying out to her from the darkness. Joyce knows her son is captive and wants to see him freed from the evil one who has him. She sees the darkness breaking through and trying to get her as well. In Stranger Things the Hawkins National Laboratory, which opened up the stupid portal to let The Upside Down in, is covering up the threat. Likewise most institutions in our world give no credence to the biblical truth that there is indeed a spiritual threat to mankind and say its just supersition from an ancient religion.
Slowly, people like Hopper, and her son Jonathan begin to believe her. But whether someone believes her or not Joyce is gonna move heaven and earth and bust down walls with axes in order to free her son from his captivity. Mike, Dustin and Lucas are not going to rest either until they find their lost friend even if it means sneaking out and firing up those cool walkie talkies and riding like a squad of adventurers on those banana seats.
For ten years now I have been working as a pastor in a little town to show them and tell them that Jesus loves them and wants to free them from their slavery to sin. But like, Joyce Byers, very few people believe me when I tell them that there is something sinister and insidious going on and that people are actually trapped by evil and lost in darkness. Paul wrote these words about this: Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants (2 Timothy 2:25-26).
I believe what the Bible tells us that God loved the world so much that He gave his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to free us from this present darkness, and like in Stranger Things, someone stronger than Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Hopper and Joyce are going to have to help free Will from the Upside Down.
It's the same for us. We are gonna need some serious help.
That's where the uber cool Eleven comes in.
More next Friday.
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