the truth for today

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am writing this article about The Lord of the Rings to encourage you to seek God about this topic -- to seek God about what He wants you to know regarding The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. Are they full of magic that real witches and wizards use, or are they just fantasy stories that are harmless? Is Gandalf, the wizard character, redeemable, or not?

We will focus on two items in this article that you may not be aware of.

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Galadriel, an elf lady, takes some people to view a magic pool. There, Samwise Gamgee (a hobbit) gazes into the magic pool and magically sees events happening far away (allegedly). Tolkien writes:

“Down a long flight of steps …. At the bottom, ... stood a basin of silver, wide and shallow, and beside it stood a silver ewer.

With water from the stream Galadriel filled the basin to the brim, ... she spoke. `Here is the Mirror of Galadriel,' she said. 'I have brought you here so that you may look in it, if you will.'

.... 'What shall we look for, and what shall we see?' asked Frodo, filled with awe.

`Many things I can command the Mirror to reveal,' she answered, `and to some I can show what they desire to see. But the Mirror will also show things unbidden, … and more profitable than things which we wish to behold. …. For it shows things that were, and things that are, things that yet may be. …. Do you wish to look?'" [A.] [End quote]

The magic pool or mirror of Galadriel is no different that a mirror for divination, or a scrying mirror (or pool). Scrying mirrors are sold online and in witchcraft shops. The practice of gazing into a magic mirror or pool is used for divination, or gaining hidden knowledge. God forbids divination in Deuteronomy 18 and throughout the Bible. God said through Moses: “There shall not be found among you any one that ... or that useth divination,....” (Deuteronomy 18:10).

But, divination is not only practiced and promoted in The Fellowship of the Ring. A crystal ball is used in The Two Towers.

In The Two Towers, Gandalf obtained a crystal ball (called a “Palantir”) from a wizard’s tower (Isengard), after Gandalf had defeated Saruman, an “evil” wizard. One night, Pippin stole the crystal ball to look into it. The hobbit gazes into its black depths until he sees images appearing. He hears a voice speaking to him, in his mind. It is Sauron, an “evil” wizard, who runs the evil country of Mordor.

Tolkien writes:

“Pippin ... gazed at it. .... At first the globe was dark, black as jet, with the moonlight gleaming on its surface. Then there came a faint glow and stir in the heart of it, .... Soon all the inside seemed on fire; the ball was spinning, or the lights within were revolving. ..." [B.] [End quote]

Pippin eventually told the group what he saw. Tolkien writes:

“'I saw a dark sky, and tall battlements,' he said.

'And tiny stars. It seemed very far away and long ago, yet hard and clear.

Then the stars ...-they were cut off by things with wings. ... One began to fly straight towards me, … but ..., it disappeared. Then he [Sauron] came. He did not speak so that I could hear words. He just looked, and I understood.

"'So you have come back? Why have you neglected to report for so long?"

'I did not answer. He said: "Who are you?" I still did not answer, but

it hurt me horribly; and he pressed me, so I said: "A hobbit."

'Then suddenly he seemed to see me, and he laughed at me. It was cruel.

It was like being stabbed with knives. I struggled. But he said: ".... Tell Saruman that this dainty is not for him. I will send for it at once. Do you understand? Say just that!"' [B.] [End quote]

This scene is disturbing because crystal balls (or scrying globes) are sold today online and in witchcraft stores. The black globe that J.R.R. Tolkien described in this fantasy novel is identical to a scrying globe, or crystal sphere.

The Scrying Mirror and Crystal Ball

Are Used in Witchcraft Today

An occult website speaks of scrying and explains how crystal balls are employed by the sorcerer:

“Scrying, also known as Crystal Gazing, Crystallomancy, Reading a Crystal Ball, and Visionary Reading is a divination technique used by psychic readers who are highly mediumistic and gifted in a way that enables them to perceive spiritual visions in their minds, rather like dreams or tiny movies. ...

“By focusing on an object such as a crystal ball, a crystal point, a mirror, a pool of black ink or water, ... the reader gains visionary insight during a divinatory trance. Some scryers see visions directly in the gazing globe or other shiny surface, ....

… [For scrying] a gazing globe, crystal, mirror, or reflective or randomly moving surface of some kind is essential to the divinatory process.” [End quote]

In Tolkien’s story, the black globe (“Palantir”) was only “harmful” to Pippin because it belonged to an “evil” wizard, Saruman, who had communicated with another “evil” wizard (Sauron) by way of the magic stone. Gandalf did not get rid of the stone. He kept it. Additionally, Gandalf was a “good” wizard. According to Tolkien, Gandalf used magic for “good” purposes (i.e. to help fight evil creatures).

But, what does God’s Word say about wizards and divination (and crystal balls, scrying mirrors, etc.)? Let’s look at Deuteronomy 18.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13

“[9] When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. [10] There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. [11] Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

[12] For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. [13] Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.”

God is very clear what He thinks about witchcraft, magic, sorcery, wizards, divination, etc. -- they are together an abomination to Him. Why should Christians partake in such practices, in the form of entertainment, when God forbids such practices? Gandalf is a wizard. He is not a prophet of God. Is Gandalf a character we should look up to, when God forbids wizardry?

God desires to have a personal, intimate relationship with each one of the people He created. Getting to know God as our best Friend is the answer to all of life's problems and is what living is truly all about. Jesus said in John 17:3: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

In Jeremiah 31:3, God said to both Jeremiah and us: “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

If you are coming here as a non-Christian, I encourage you to read this. God desires to have fellowship with you, as you make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.

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References:

[A.] Tolkien, J.R.R. “The Fellowship of the Ring.” angelfire.com.

[B.] Tolkien, J.R.R. “The Two Towers.” archive.org.