The Return of the King

WHY IS "LORD OF THE RINGS" SO POPULAR?

Next to the Bible, The Lord of the Rings is the best selling literary work of all time. And now it has become one of the most popular film series ever. What is there about J.R.R. Tolkien's work that merits such high honor?

Answer: Primarily, the reason is found in the story itself. Tolkien speaks to our great human need to be loved unconditionally. He goes beyond mere romantic love and paints a picture of self-sacrificing love, where heroes put others first, even at the risk of their own life.

The Lord of the Rings is about unconditional love, and Tolkien echoes the inspired words of Jesus:

"The greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends."1 Tolkien's trilogy has much in common with this important truth of Scripture.

Examples: In The Return of the King, Frodo and Sam demonstrate great love for others as they make the fateful journey to the Mount Doom. Both Gandalf and Aragorn are great leaders because of their selflessness. And, the beautiful Arwen willingly gives up her own life for her husband, Aragorn. In the same manner, Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us. Tolkien put this Christlike trait into several of his characters, rather than in a single allegorical Christ-figure. He seems to be suggesting that any of us can experience, and demonstrate, this selfless love.

The Difficulty: Have you noticed how difficult it is to do the right thing, especially when it has nothing to with our own benefit or pleasure? The apostle Paul once noted this problem in his own life. He wrote, "When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway."2 This universal reality within all of us sets up the various conflicts within Tolkien's epic story. In one, Boromir comes into possession of the Power, resulting in a tragic moral failure as he gives in to his lust for power. Although we like to identify with heroes, we often find ourselves more like Boromir, captivated by our own self-centeredness.

The Battle: In The Return of the King, director Peter Jackson did a wonderful job in dramatizing the apocalyptic war between good and evil. Indeed, both Jackson and Tolkien take their cue from the Bible's final battle between the forces of good and evil. The battle is finally won with The Return of the King - Jesus Christ himself. But, in a more practical manner, The Lord of the Rings addresses the battle within all of us in the here and now. There can be no victory over the evil within us until we allow The Return of the King in a personal way.

Redeeming Love: The Bible speaks of the greatest act of love ever: "God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."3 Imagine being loved in spite of our faults, evil thoughts and bad deeds. God's love is truly redeeming.

Responding to the King: Here is a simple prayer in response to God's great love for you: King Jesus, I thank You for coming to earth to save me. I believe You died for my sins, were buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven. I also believe You will one day make Your triumphal return. Help me to live ever ready for that day. Amen.

(Endnotes) 1 John 15:13; 2 Romans 7:19; 3 Romans 5:8
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Bible Reference: NLT

Know that The Lord of the Rings series of books are full of witchcraft and the occult. It has taken some things from scripture as noted above but then made horrible stories of the demonic, full of evil and violence and all that is of the devil. The problem with this type of story is that you can NEVER learn of the things of God, the love of God, the mercy of God, the grace and salvation offered by God through such. You cannot teach moral truths and honorable traits by evil and occultic witchcraft. No more than the Harry Potter series can have any good benefit or teaching that one can overcome evil with good, which using evil to do it. That is not showing good or the triumpt of good over evil because it is full of evil and the demonic, even on the part of the hero. That is why God's Word denounced all that is of the occult, all witchcraft of every sort for any reason or motive as being an abomination before a Holy God. These things will only lead a person into the occult, not away from them. They cause people to think that good can come out of that which is evil. These things will only lead to demonic possession, control and destruction in the end. One cannot ignore the commandments of God and escape the consequences and dabling in witchcraft will only bring one into bondage and a curse upon their lives. God's Word tells us that there is no curse without a cause. Playing with witchcraft, watching it and reading about it have brought many into demon oppression and some into demonic possession. It opens the door to the enemy and most enter into the door without understanding the spiritual consequences and where it will lead them - into great spiritual darkness and deception and ultimatley, unless they repent and are delivered by the power of God, into eternal damnation.