I have often thought that the Wizard of Oz was another effort on the part of those who did not fear and on the contrary had a more than skeptical view of God and His church to illustrate their skepticism. In the end, the participants in the story discovered that “The Wizard” was merely a man controlling the narrative through various mechanics and that there actually was no real wizard; the thought behind that illustration as it pertains to Christianity seems to be no different today.
As we continue into the “post Christian” dispensation of time we hear men refer to Christianity as “another ancient mythology” passing into the annals of time and ceasing to be a controlling influence on our world, to say nothing of the central figure of it, Jesus Christ, the son of the actual and living God. But unlike Aesop’s Fables, the Iliad or the Odyssey of Homer or other classical Greek and Roman mythology which tell fantastic stories of mythological heroes, the Bible is a testimony of eyewitnesses who either heard and/or saw Almighty God or His Son Jesus Christ.
In Daniel chapter 2 verses 31-45, the prophet Daniel interprets an upsetting dream from God (see Dan. 2:29) for King Nebuchadnezzar of a great statue made of Gold, silver bronze, iron and clay which was subsequently destroyed by a stone which was “cut out without hands.” In his interpretation, Daniel revealed from the Lord that each of the various material components of the statue were representative of several kingdoms, each of which would be weaker than the first and yet fall to the one to come after it. The “head of fine gold” represented Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom – the Babylonian empire, the “chest and arms of silver” represented the Medo-Persian empire, the “belly and thighs of bronze” represented the Grecian empire, the “legs of iron” represented the Roman Empire and the “feet of iron and toes of clay” (vv.33, 42) represented the progressive weakening of the more or less divided Roman empire.
Daniel, writing well before the advent of the Medo-Persian, Greek or Roman empires saw their consummation and obliteration by a rock which became a mountain (Daniel 2:35) or, since the Biblical record often refers to Jesus Christ as the rock; each of these empires gives way to Almighty God and ultimately to His Kingdom.
I bring the narrative of the falling empires into play because of the “mythology” of especially the Greeks and Romans. Their mythology drove their religion, their world view and their general perceptions of nature – but Zeus never walked among men nor did Jupiter or Hercules or Dionysus or Diana and Artemis or Mars and Ares nor Hades nor any of the rest of the gods of their mythologies. In reality, the Romans adopted many Greek customs including their myths, modifying them slightly to suit their own purposes. But over and against all of this is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, born into flesh by way of a virgin (Matthew 1:23) and yet having neither beginning or end (Rev.1:8). This Jesus walked among people, did miracles among people, spoke to and taught people, suffered and died for the sins of people and rose again bringing forgiveness to people from God and restoring every believer’s relationship with Him.
He was seen. People bear witness to Him (John 1:14, 2 Peter 1:16-21, 1 John 1:1-3). People died because of their unstoppable testimony of that which they had both seen and heard and they still die to this day because of faith in His name. No other religion on earth at any time can say that their God came down to men. No other religion on earth is MORE persecuted than Christianity is because of the name of Jesus and no religion sees more of its adherents killed than those of the Christian faith. To this day, all other religions are tolerated in our nation but Christianity – if it were merely a myth why do so many willingly die and why are so many people and governments intimidated by the name of Jesus?
Myth or true fact – you decide; but consider these words of Paul in Romans in your process (Romans 1:18-25):
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
Next time you consider the complex biology and function of every living thing or of even a single living cell or atom and the next time you consider life in general or the vast universe above just ask yourself, “Did all of this really happen by accident; a big bang led to all that I see above, beneath and within me?” Which is harder to believe – that an all-knowing creator God, from nothing, made the heavens and the earth, the stars and then set them in motion, and that He made every living creature with unique qualities, traits and characteristics and then gave them life; or that it all began in a primordial stew of muck on a planet uttered forth from some cosmic explosion of materials that must also have either formed from the blast or preexisted it? In which case you would also have to ask, “where did the canvas – that blank expanse of nothingness come from?” Time just started on its own with no outside, intelligent impetus…I doubt that.
In fact, that’s a myth I cannot accept.
“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.” (Psalm 14:1–3, NKJV)
No mockery intended, but as foolish as it would be to base one’s life on a fable or myth it would be more so to fail to receive and believe in the true and living God, Jesus Christ, who as one man put it long ago, was “a sure enough somebody” who came into the world to save sinners…
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