Vampirism and The Cross

What is vampirism? Basically it is a strong desire or need by a human or the undead to drink the blood of the living. How does vampirism relate to the cross of Jesus Christ? There are many parallels between vampirism and Christian beliefs.

In Matthew 26:28 we read, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Jesus had to shed or spill His blood so the natural sinful man could have eternal life. Hebrews 9:22 states, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

Blood had to be shed to free man from the curse of sin that he has been placed under since the fall of man.

In vampire folklore, it is the vampire who is cursed because he has to sustain his immortality by spilling and drinking the blood of man. The roles are reversed in vampirism. It is the vampire who is cursed and it is "innocent" man who has to shed blood so the vampire can continue living eternally without being tormented by his own hunger.

In Christianity, it was the blood of an innocent eternal being that was shed so a "cursed" mankind could live for eternity without being tormented in the fires of hell. Leviticus 17:11 states, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."

There are more parallels between vampirism and the cross. In fact, vampirism is a type of anti cross or antichrist. The cross is a wooden stake. Jesus Christ, the eternal being, died on a wooden stake. What happened to Christ on the cross? He was driven or nailed to the stake.

In vampire folklore, it is because Christ died on a piece of wood that makes a wooden stake an effective weapon against the vampire. The stake has to be driven or hammered (like you would a nail) into the vampire's heart to destroy it. The wooden stake destroys the evil vampire.

In a sense this is a picture of what Christ did for us on the cross. He destroyed evil by taking away it's hold on all who look to the cross for salvation.

In vampire folklore, the vampire supposedly has the ability to change into a bat so he can travel great distances in a short length of time. The vampire is carried away into the wilderness of the world by a winged creature so he can confront and feed off of the innocent.

In scripture we read in Luke 3:22 that " And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him" The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a winged creature. What did this winged creature do? "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." Matthew 4:1 The winged creature (the Holy Spirit) transported Jesus into the wilderness to confront and confound evil.

Another parallel of vampirism and Christianity is Christians drink wine at the communion table which is symbolic of the blood that Christ spilled. Jesus told his disciples then and his disciples now to symbolically drink his blood as a constant reminder of what He had to do for us on the cross. "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped , saying , This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye , as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:25

Of course the vampire has to "drink" the blood of the innocent to sate his hunger which is an obvious mockery of Christ.

Another parallel between vampirism and the cross is sun light. In scripture, Jesus is the son of God and the light of the world. In other words, the "son" is the one who exposes and dispels darkness. "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying , I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

A vampire, who is a creature of the night, can not remain outdoors when the "sun" rises. The "sun" literally destroys the evil being. Light exposes and dispels darkness. Darkness can do nothing but flee from light.

Our modern day world is fascinated by vampires and vampirism. Vampire stories are remarkably successful in the media. This shows that the world is hungry for "blood" and crave eternal life. It's a shame they ignore the One whose "blood" was spilled so they could have that eternal life.

Copyright 2009 by Gary Goodworth





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