Lord of the Rings: Apocalyptic Prophecies

[Elizabeth]

“(Jesus) warned the disciples of what people they should for

the future beware, and described the Herodians in terms so exact

that no one could fail to recognize them. Among other things, He

said that they should beware of certain people in sheep’s skins and

long leathern straps! ‘Beware,’ He said,’ of the profane in

sheepskins and long girdles!’ By these words, Jesus signified the

lurking Herodian disciples of John who, in imitation of John’s true

followers, wore a kind of sheepskin stole around the neck and

crossed on the breast.”108

     According to Bl. Emmerich’s visions, the Herodians, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, were attempting to establish an earthly kingdom and expected a Messiah according to their own world-view: “What He (Jesus) said of the fulfilment of the weeks of Daniel, of the near coming of the Messiah, and of the King of the Jews, was excellent and quite in accordance with their own ideas. But as He told them, they might seek where they would, they would still nowhere find the

Messiah.”109 This bears a remarkable resemblance to Marie-Julie’s revelations mentioned above that those not of Christ’s priesthood would attempt to change the ancient liturgical forms of the Church, and would be of the same spirit as those who crucified Him.* Marie-Julie further warns that the infiltrators in the Church would not stop at these first attempts to change everything, they will also disperse good pastors (bishops) and replace them with others “... formed by hell, initiated in all vices, all iniquities, perfidious, who will cover souls with filth ... New preachers of new sacraments, new temples, new baptisms, new confraternities...”110
     If the angelic Istari in Lord of the Rings are representative of the priesthood in the Church, then Tolkien also includes references to a ‘fallen member’ changing sacred traditions to suit his own ends via the treachery of the once-white wizard Saruman, suggesting the author may have been aware of the schemes of the Carbonari to corrupt the clergy and their plots to place an imposter-pope in the Holy See. We learn during the Council of Elrond held in Rivendell that Saruman as leader of the Wise Council helped to combat the forces of Lord Sauron and cast him out of the tower of Dol Gulder in ages past when he had assumed the shadowy form of the ‘Necromancer’. However, the means to defeat Sauron the first time were Saruman’s undoing in the Third Age when the Ring is found again. Saruman had studied the Dark Lord’s arts in order to learn how to defeat him, hoping to find a weakness, but in the end was captivated by his power, especially his invention of the One Ring and was seduced into imitating him. Elrond sadly notes: “It is perilous to study too deeply into the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill.”111 Saruman begins to breed his own army of hybrid orcs, their dark blood mixed with that of men so they have the ability to withstand the sunlight, which the other orcs are unable to endure. To the new uruk-hai orc breed he gives their fill of man-flesh, plus has dreaded wolf-riders and other evil races enter his lists. As his symbol of power, he has chosen a White Hand, the sign of authority that sounds very similar to the French main de justice mentioned earlier. As we recall, Bl. Catherine Emmerich, was shown the significance of the ‘hand’ in the priesthood, its power to cure and bless which priests seldom do, noting that the staff of Eliseus also symbolised the ‘hand’ in the same manner and had a mystic connection with the bishop’s crosier and monarch’s sceptre, obviously as symbols of authority granted to them by God’s Hand.112 In the case of Saruman, he has taken the symbol of a priest’s blessed authority and has turned it into one of tyrannical dominion. H attempts to rule over the realm of Rohan, and eventually takes control of the Shire, the idyllic pastoral land of the Hobbits, and turns it into an oppressive industrialized communistic police-state. The Hobbits are fooled into thinking they still have authority in their land by having been granted various official posts such as ‘sheriff’ or ‘deputies’, but are suffocating under a system bogged down by senseless laws, and the misappropriation of goods that are never redistributed to the people but are stolen by the evil Men overseeing the new government, including Saruman.
     Lusting after power, Saruman makes a new alliance with Mordor, and although he plans to betray this alliance, he falls under the secret influence of the Evil Eye and ends up doing the work of the Eye without realizing it as Frodo related. Filled with pride, Saruman begins to refashion the Istari Order into a new organisation modelled after his concept of how the Istari should be, not as the Immortals have ordained. When Gandalf the Grey seeks his assistance unaware of his treachery, he discovers Saruman has a ‘new ring’ and his actually created a Ring of Power in imitation of the Dark Lord by his own admission: “For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!”113 Mocking the ‘Old Order’, and indeed, treating Gandalf the Grey with contempt at first, he casts aside the revered colour white and displays to Gandalf new ‘vestments’ of his own making, a white-seeming cloth that is made of a myriad of flashing colours but bewilders those who look on it. Saruman admits he too like Sauron has “many eyes” that are in his service, seeking news of the One Ring. Aware that Gandalf knows where it is hidden, he attempts to persuade him to abandon the old order of the Istari as it was, forget the Eldar and the dying age of the Faithful Númenoreans, and join him in fashioning the New Order, first under the wing of Mordor, then turn on Sauron and reign in his place:

“A new Power is rising. Against it the old allies and

policies will not avail us at all. There is no hope left in Elves and

dying Númenor. This then is the choice before you, before us.

We may join with that Power. (...) Its victory is at hand, and there

will be rich reward for those that aided it. As the Power grows, its

proved friends will also grow, and the Wise, such as you and I,

may with patience come at last to direct its courses, to control it.

We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts,

deploring the evils done by the way, but approving the high and

ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all things that we have

so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by

our weak or idle friends. There need not be, there would not be,

any real changes in our designs, only in our means.”114

  

     Gandalf does not fall prey to Saruman’s deceit, for the end does not justify the means, and ‘The Grey Pilgrim’ remains faithful to the mission of the old Order of the Istari to defend Middle Earth against the wiles of Sauron without challenging Sauron himself, nor seek power or dominion over Elves and Men. Gandalf rebuffs his offer and realizes Saruman by his very treachery no longer holds authority of the Wise Council: “I have heard speeches of this kind before, but only in the mouths of emissaries sent from Mordor to deceive the ignorant. (...) You were Head of the Council, but you have unmasked yourself at last. Well, the choices are, it seems, to submit to Sauron, or to yourself. I will take neither.”115 Saruman imprisons Gandalf in his tower, but Gandalf escapes and informs the other members of the Wise Council of Saruman’s treachery. Gandalf observes that of all the perils the Wise Council had to endure in their fight against the power of Sauron the worst was enemies from within: “In all our long wars with the Dark Tower treason has always been our greatest foe.”116 He also says something similar about the despair of the Steward Denethor as his lack of hope and faith threatens to tear apart the unity of the King’s City: “Even in the heart of our stronghold the Enemy has power to strike us: for his will it is that is at work.”117 Of interest, Gandalf’s remarks are not unlike Christ’s warning: “And a man’s enemies shall be they of their ow 
household.” (Matt. 10:36)
     Returning to the prophecies, due to this internal upheaval, there will be aspiritual war between the ‘New’ church established by usurpers from within and those faithfully holding on to the ancient traditions. As a result, confusion will arise within the Church itself, and indeed, persecutions. Tolkien includes similar references in Lord of the Rings. Gandalf, the faithful and more worthy member of the Istari, is rebuked and treated terribly by those who have fallen under the influence of the Evil Eye. The Steward Denethor does not give him as warm a welcome as he does for Saruman when they both wish to conduct research in the ancient archives of the royal city. Denethor continually calls Gandalf an old fool. The King of Rohan also treats Gandalf with disrespect until he later frees him from the malicious influence of Saruman. Under the influence of evil, Denethor and the King of Rohan view Gandalf’s warnings and words of wisdom as a nuisance and bad omens, blind to the fact he is bringing them wise council. In fact, Denethor accuses Gandalf of seeking to seize power over the kingdom, the same accusation that Saruman makes when Gandalf takes his place and is promoted to the colour White. No doubt these accusations are attempts to discredit Gandalf and prevent people from placing their trust in him. Gandalf remarks as he rushes to prevent the crazed Lord Denethor from carrying out his mad plans: “Work of the Enemy! (...) Such deeds he loves: friend against friend, loyalty divided in the confusion of hearts.”118 At one point in Lord of the Rings, the remnant of the Fellowship cannot tell Gandalf and Saruman apart: not only do they look alike, but after Gandalf’s assumed death, rumours abound that Saruman is sneaking abroad in the guise of an ‘old man’ gathering news as though he had assumed the ‘Grey Pilgrim’s’ likeness. As a result, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli mistake the resurrected Gandalf for the traitor when he meets up with them again in Fangorn Forest after defeating the Balrog, but are surprised to find him promoted to his new role as the White Rider. Hence, we see references to prophecies that before the Great Monarch arrives few will be able to recognize the True Church from the ‘False’ Church.

108 The Life of Jesus Christ, Vol. 3, pp. 25-26.

109 Ibid. Vol. 2, p. 274.
* Compare Christ’s description of the secret-society Herodians as ‘dumb dogs that do not bark’ mentioned earlier with Psalm 21 (17-18) predicting Christ’s crucifixion: “For many dogs have encompassed Me: the council of the malignant hath besieged Me. They have dug My Hands and Feet. They have numbered all My Bones.”
110 May 10, 1904. We Are Warned, p. 360.
111 Ibid. p. 282.

112 The Life of Jesus Christ, Vol. 1, pp. 19-20.
113 Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 276.

114 Ibid. pp. 276-277.

115 Ibid. p. 277.

116 Ibid. p. 268.
117 Ibid. The Return of the King, p. 886.
118 Ibid. p. 885.