Stranger Things Ending and the Parallel to the Return of Christ

Parallels to scripture

• Stranger Things is a Netflix series created by the Duffer brothers. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I saw parallels in the final episode that reminded me of what the Bible says about the end of time and His Second Coming.

I do not believe Stranger Things is a Christian series. I am sharing my personal takeaway. Too often, when people see parallels, they dub movies and television shows as "Christian" when they are not.

Fans have different takeaways

Home Alone is an example. The film is about Kevin McCallister being left alone during the holiday. There are Christmas themes, and some of them are related to the birth of Christ.

There is a theory that the older gentleman named Marley represents Christ because his injured hand was healed during the movie. At first, it was bleeding through the bandage, giving the impression that his wound was like Jesus, who had the nail pierce his hand all the way through.

Some believe this is a nod to the Crucifixion, while others say the old man had an injury that healed during the course of Kevin's ordeal. And it had nothing to do with religion.

I believe the hand wound was used to give Marley a reason to go to the drugstore, where he saw Kevin. These are all opinions, and everyone has a right to their own. The ending of Stranger Things will be viewed differently depending on how you look at it. This is my personal interpretation that boosted my faith.

El sacrificed herself to save those she loved

Eleven-El (Millie Bobbie Brown) has been guiding her friends through this journey as Jesus led His disciples. The Hawkins kids were in awe of El's powers, the way the 12 closest followers of Christ were amazed at His miracles.

As Jane watched her sister Kali's (Linnea Berthelsen) 008 die, you could tell she was contemplating her own demise. Her mind was made up, and no one could talk her out of it.

This reminded me of how Jesus went into solitude after hearing that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded. Some theologians say He went away to process that his own death was near. He walked His path knowing where it would lead.

El decides to sacrifice her life for the greater good. I thought of the scripture John 11:50 King James, where the Jewish leaders said of Jesus:

Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

Jane knew her death would destroy the Upside Down and restore things to their right state. She died knowing that her sacrifice would mean others would live.

Jesus will turn this upside-down world right side up

The Bible teaches that when Jesus was crucified and resurrected, He paid the price for the sins of mankind, and that when Christ returns, Satan will be defeated and death and hell will be thrown into the lake of fire, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Hawkins/The Right Side Up was restored and changed for the better once the ordeal with Vecna/Henry was concluded. The Bible says Jesus went into hell and took the keys from Satan, who has caused chaos in this world. Vecna was defeated by those who traveled to the abyss.

These are my observations based on my faith. Watching the ending play out encouraged me that one day this world, filled with evil as we know it will end and a better day is coming.

If you watched Stranger Things, please share your take on the final episode. You may not relate to the return of Christ, but have your own thoughts on the ending.