If you’ve read the “Lord of the Rings” books or have seen the movies, then you probably know about the “One Ring,” right?
“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them.
One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them!”
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
This ring was made by the dark lord, Sauron, to rule and dominate all life on Middle Earth. Through the use of the ring, his influence spread, and all kinds of races – elves, men, dwarves – began to fight with and distrust one another. A result of the evil that was now all over the world. The evil power of that ring allowed Sauron to control others with his will. Anyone who carried that ring began to look more and more like it’s owner – dark, evil, greedy and selfish. It caused wars between kingdoms and peoples. While the Lord of the Rings is just a story, if you look at the world today, don’t you feel the similarities? In our own world, are people more united or more divided? What is the cause of the division and fighting?
Sin – What is It?
The idea of one thing causing division and separation is not only found in great works of literature. It exists in the real world today. From the very beginning, we see in the Bible that there was one thing that separated us from God, our Creator. That one thing is sin. It began in the Garden of Eden when God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because if they did, then they would surely die. However, an enemy, the devil, came and deceived Adam and Eve into eating from the tree. He did this by causing them to doubt God’s words.
Imagine you’re told something important by a friend or family member. Then someone else comes along and makes you doubt what you had heard. It’s manipulative, isn’t it? How would you feel in that moment when you no longer fully trusted what your friend or family member said? We see that after Adam and Eve were manipulated by the devil and sinned, they felt ashamed.
The Definition of Sin
That begs the question, “What is sin?” Simply, it’s disobeying God’s word. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s law for them by doing the exact opposite of what he commanded them not to do – eating from that tree. They put their own desires over following God’s words. Their disobedience allowed sin into the world and caused all of creation to be separated from God. If God who gives us life is no longer connected to us, then what is left? It’s death and the devil.
We see this in Lord of the Rings, one of the carriers of the ring is given a clear command: “Do not put the ring on.” If he did, all the evil forces would be drawn to him and he could be killed. But the ring, with its power, tempts the bearer. It whispers and lulls them into putting the ring on and therefore bringing them into danger. And as anyone who knows the story knows that the ring bearer, Frodo constantly loses this battle of will and puts the ring on. Each time he breaks that command of not putting on the ring, it results in pain, suffering and in several cases, death.
Why Does Sin Separate Us from God?
God is Holy. He has no evil within Him, has never had any evil, and never will. If someone does have sin, then they are not holy. Think of it like this: If God is like pure light, even having just a speck of darkness within him would mean he is not completely pure. He would no longer be holy. Darkness cannot mix with light. When you turn on a light in a dark room, the light completely consumes the darkness and eliminates it.
Likewise if we have sin, that’s like having darkness. That darkness makes us unholy, impure, and so we cannot be with what’s pure. In the Lord of the Rings, items made by elves have a magical, pure quality to them. Evil beings like orcs cannot touch the elven-made items. If they do, they are physically hurt (like a burn). In the Bible, if a sinful man came before God without being purified, he would die because God’s holiness would eliminate the sin. Therefore, having sin has created a disconnect in our relationship with God, our Creator and Father. And since we were disconnected with God by sin, and He doesn’t want to destroy our sinful beings with His holiness, God actually left this world. But if God, the Creator left, then who is in control?
Everybody Wants to Rule the World, but Who Actually Rules It (right now)?
In the Lord of the Rings, even though people couldn’t see Sauron, the spirit of Sauron was at work through the ring. Sauron could rule Middle Earth without being physically present by influencing people’s thoughts and feelings. The ring was able to corrupt anyone, from a lowly hobbit to even the highest and wisest leaders of the lands.
The devil is also a spirit, so we can’t see him. But he is still able to influence our thoughts and actions. He plays upon our selfish desires and insecurities. He works subtly through what we watch, listen to, the people around us, and even our own thoughts. Anything to keep us under his control. It may seem strange to hear, and we may not recognize it right away, but upon reflection maybe it won’t seem so strange or impossible.
According to 1 John 5:19, the devil rules our world (for now). Through Adam’s very first sin, sin entered the world and spread throughout, and the devil came to rule the world. One sin to rule them all. Hard to believe? Just one quick look around at the current state of this world should tell us that a good and holy God is not the source of the death, war and suffering we see so prevalent in our world today. Looking back at all of the bad, horrible, evil things that people have done throughout history up until now, we have to consider – is all of this from mankind’s own choices? Or is there something else at work, something unseen and dangerous.
The Rescue Plan
In order to destroy the source of evil in Middle Earth, the one ring, the ring bearer, Frodo and those who wanted peace and good to rule the land once more, fought and sacrificed their lives to bring the ring and its owner to an end. By destroying the ring, they ended Sauron’s rule and influence over Middle Earth.
For us today, what can we do to stop the devil’s rule and influence over our world? How can we fight to keep sin from ruling over us? How will the devil come to an end? As we saw the explanation of how sin came to be in Genesis of the Bible, we see God’s solution and victory over the devil in Revelation. Have you looked at that book lately? Or has the mystery and fear surrounding the final book of the Bible kept you from seeking out more?
Now that we are aware of who rules this world and how he is able to work, what will the next step be? Go back to normal life and hope to forget about it? Or will you join the fight alongside the likes of Jesus, the apostles and the countless martyrs? The choice is up to you.
Written by Kenny
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Why God allowed the Devil to deceive Eve?
Actually, God did not intend for Adam and Eve to be deceived, if he had anticipated it he would have warned them. What is more important to look at to understand is the relationship between God and Satan. You can feel free to read more about that here https://as-it-is-in-heaven.com/why-did-god-create-satan-or-did-he/ Or, if you still have more questions please email us at @asitisinheaven121@gmail.com