A Biblical Look into Twilight: The Fight

They emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters apart. The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing the other male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall, dark-haired man in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack. The third was a woman; from this distance, all I could see of her was that her hair was a startling shade of red.
They closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Edward's family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind.
As they approached, I could see how different they were from the Cullens. Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers: jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. Both men had cropped hair, but the woman's brilliant orange hair was filled with leaves and debris from the woods.
Taken from chapter 18 of Twilight

As we move into the final chapters of Twilight, we see that Bella and Edward have moved into a more serious relationship. They have confessed their love to each other, met each other's families and publicly announced their relationship in Forks. Their relationship seems to be clicking until the opposition arrives. Bella and Edward came together with a well-established problem in the beginning - Edward's desire to kill or leave Bella. But this Twilight couple begins to face other conflicts as well.

With Bella going public about her relationship with Edward, she is confronted by Billy Black, a local Quileute leader and close friend of her dad. Billy's character seems to always bring a sensibility and calm into every interaction. We see this same approach as he warns Bella about Edward and his family. With Edward going public about his relationship with Bella, he is confronted by Rosalie, his gorgeous and powerful sister. Rosalie works hard to make things as difficult as possible for Bella as she integrates into the Cullen family. And, of course, Bella and Edward must face another enemy - the nomadic vampires.

We see a trio of nomadic vampires enter the story at Bella's first baseball game in the clearing. This trio is described quite differently than the Cullen family. They have a different diet. They look disheveled, almost uncivilized. They walk like animals with deception and the hunt in their eyes. As this trio interacts with the Cullens, we understand that the nomadic vampire's life driven by animal-like desire drives away any committed relationship. The nomadic vampires live by desires of what they want with no direction or purpose to guide them.

A fight ensues between the trio and the Cullen family after one nomadic vampire (James) expresses his interest in killing Bella. The two groups of vampires seem paired with the same weapons, but the Cullens have the upper hand in this battle. From a physical perspective, the Cullens have more people, special gifts and an insider (Laurents) to share the secrets of the enemy. From a greater perspective, the Cullens are driven by an everlasting purpose - love. Their love for each other and Bella guides them into an undying commitment to each other. And the Cullens' love for human life presses them in a direction of protecting and mentoring other vampires who want a more fulfilling life.

As humans in the real world, we have an enemy in our lives who is catlike and tracks us like the nomadic vampires in Twilight. Our enemy's name is Satan, and the Bible says that he hunts like a lion looking for prey (I Peter 5:8). Yet we have the upper hand in our battle against him. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul describes the armor that God puts on us. It is a physical description of our spiritual transformation in Christ through the Spirit. Here are our weapons according to Ephesians 6:10-18:

• The belt of truth - We live in truth, so there is no need to hide our real identities.
• The breastplate of righteousness - Our hearts have been perfected by God, which protects them from the enemy.
• The peace-filled shoes - We are rooted in God's plan of reconciliation, which we offer as we look to bridge the gap in our relationships.
• The shield of faith - We have a firm belief in who God says He is and will do what He says He will do.
• The helmet of salvation - Much of our battle lies in the mind, and we are protected from lies by having a mental assurance of our eternal placement.
• The sword of the Spirit - We combat Satan's lies with the truth of God as found in His word.
• The prayer - We can communicate anytime and anywhere with the Creator of the universe. His plans and presence are clear.

God the Father puts this armor on His children when we come into a relationship with Him (John 3:16). God doesn't promise to provide a perfect life on earth for His children. He promises to be faithful, loving and good while we wait to live with Him forever. And He puts us into His family so we can fight Satan like the Cullens fight together against the nomadic vampires in Twilight. We fight together because we are bonded by love.

Bella is changed by experiencing the love of the Cullen family. Her outlook is turned from self-centeredness to gratitude as she faces certain death. She expresses this transformation beautifully in the preface of Twilight:

I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death now. But, terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end.

Bella knew that this greater love was a gift, and her life became defined by gratitude for it. I have to admit that her gratitude manifests in unhealthy ways. Yet our gratitude becomes healthy when we express it to our Maker, our Defender and our Deliverer.