Bible Study, via Fear the Walking Dead

In the fourth episode of the first season of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead, the bible reference "Rev 21:4" appears. It has been affixed to a chain-link fence that separates the community from the National Guard instillation that is "protecting" the community.

The verse, in the New King James Version, says "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

In a scene just a few minutes later, a portion of the text of the verse is seen, tacked up in the zombie-infested side of town. So they definitely used a real verse (I'm looking at you, X-Files) and quoted it properly.


Now there is a basic rule in Robert Kirkman's work that any character of faith or show of devotion is punished, usually in a pretty gruesome way. So the inclusion of any Bible verse in the prequel series is an interesting choice.

One attraction of the verse to the producers may be the end of the passage. The words on the sign, the beginning of the verse, speak to the blessed hope of the believer, and is routinely used as a source of comfort. The promise of the former things passing way is a wonderful promise, as the glory of the coming Kingdom is the ultimate good news for creation.

But I wonder if the show is thinking about the end of the verse, commenting on the notion that in the world of their show, the former things have indeed passed away. A more cynical take on the verse is that the zombie apocalypse does indeed wipe away the former things, but what replaces it is far, far worse.