Not long ago my son mentioned that there was such a thing as the “Paranormal Teen Romance” section in bookstores. He likes science fiction himself, but happened to pass through the Paranormal Teen Romance section and thought it was interesting to say the least. The next time we were in the store, he pointed it out to me and I snapped a few photos of it with my smart phone. I was astounded that there were so many books available to teens that focused on this particular genre.

I knew of course, that the Twilight series was big and vampires had made a comeback because of it, but I was not aware that the entire genre had expanded to such a degree. What I’m going to say now may seem weird to some, but that won’t be the first time.

Thousands of years ago, prior to the Noahic Flood that destroyed everything on earth except Noah, his immediate family, and the animals they carried with them on the Ark, Nephilim lived among humanity. I won’t get into the debate about Nephilim. I personally believe that somehow angels found a way to procreate with women and the result was a human-angel hybrid that was literally a monstrosity. It was a monstrosity because it corrupted the human genome that God had created. This then would not allow the Messiah to be born thousands of years later…unless of course God did something. He did. He sent the Flood.

But the problem is that as we learn in Genesis 6, the Nephilim were there during Noah’s time and also “after that.” They found a way to rise again to keep the Israelites out of the Promised Land. That worked for 40 years until that unbelieving and rebellious generation died out. Then, led this time by Joshua, they did enter the Land and began to take it as God had commanded.

So how did the Nephilim rise again if they had been destroyed? Simply put, though their initial physical bodies had been destroyed, their souls had not. Being neither fully angel or human, they were left in a situation that caused them to want their original bodies and became the demons of the New Testament, constantly wanting to infiltrate human flesh. In fact, any body would be better than no body, which is why they begged the Lord to send them into swine at one point. He allowed it and the entire herd ran off the edge of a cliff. Once again, though they had bodies for a few moments, they were left to float listlessly without form until another opportune time came.

But today we have the resurgence of vampires and werewolves. With the growth of the Twilight series, the reality of these two creatures of the night has once again come to the fore. Digital effects have made these two creatures something that appears to be absolutely real. I have come to the conclusion that those people who are already a bit “soft” or “off” may well wind up succumbing to the belief that both vampires and werewolves exist.

In fact, not long ago, a young man in his early twenties reportedly was arrested for trying to bite the neck of a woman. While in police custody, he begged to be chained because he needed to “feed.” This is not the first time this has happened and surely will not be the last.

There are a number of websites that cater to “real” vampires, teaching them everything from “coming out” to vampire-friendly bars. ABC has done a special on people who believe themselves to be vampires.

What may be even more interesting is that because of the Nephilim, this desire to be or come out as a vampire may be all too real. We know that people who are possessed have super-human strength. What they can do goes beyond what a normal human being can do. Is it unreasonable to believe that if a person is possessed by some unholy spirit, that person begins to take on the characteristics of that spirit living within him/her? If so, is it also unreasonable to believe that these unholy entities could very well pretend to be vampires or werewolves to capture the attention of young people today? I don’t think it is beyond the impossible. After all, we really do not know thoroughly how things work in the spiritual realm. We do not know fully what spiritual beings are truly capable of doing. We have bits and pieces in the Bible that allow us to see a bit beyond the curtain that separates their dimensions from ours, but that’s all.

I would not be surprised frankly, if over time, we begin to see more people “come out” as vampires and werewolves. I also believe that while there will be some who are simply in it for the “craze” or “fad,” there will be thoroughly possessed human beings who are at the mercy of the spirits that possess them. Whatever the inclination of the indwelling unholy spirit(s) happens to be will be forced upon the individual and the coming out of vampires and werewolves will be all too real.

This may well explain why teenage paranormal romances are becoming such a hit. One highly acclaimed book has been written by a Mormon housewife whose emphasis on the blood is clearly seen throughout the book. She tends to see it as a “Christian” thing, but in reality, her book is the antithesis of Christianity, as is Mormonism.

All of these books, TV series, and movies are at work – in my opinion – not only to desensitize young people to the dangers of vampirism, etc., but also to acclimate them to the beings from the nether world. This will become all to familiar over time and nothing surrounding it will seem abnormal. This then will give way to more incidents of people acting out their fantasies (real or imagined) as vampires and werewolves.

I think the world is in for a shock as time winds down toward the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (and no, I have no idea when He will return). The fact of His return is highlighted numerous times throughout Scripture. It is the culmination of human history and it would appear – if I understand anything about Scripture – that signs are indicating that we are getting close. However, “close” for us may not be that close for Him. It’s simply too difficult to tell in spite of the fact that some believe they can figure it out.

I believe we are embarking on a state in society that will cause vampires, werewolves, and other evil monstrosities to be seen as “the norm.” I would not at all be surprised if at some point, evil spirits and fallen angels wind up using the vampire/werewolf scenario as a cover to “appear” in society so that they can do greater damage.

Evil spirits that simply flit and float around in the atmosphere can obviously do some damage. They can influence the way people think and help to cause people to move in a certain direction, but they have to do this through indirect means. The same evil spirit who winds up fully possessing a human being can do far greater damage because they are not in control of that person’s body. Picture thousands of human beings fully controlled by millions of evil spirits. I’d rather not think of it, but in truth, it may well be where society is heading. Because of that, Christians need to rise to the occasion with vigilance and a desire to evangelize the lost as never before. This is our calling, our job, and should be our focus.