http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/artic ... E_ID=48444
Narnia's lesson: It's about obedience
Posted: January 21, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Earl A. Clampett Jr.
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
I just saw the "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
C.S. Lewis in allegorical fashion hits the cricket ball out of the ballpark in capturing the real essence of the Gospel story.
Christians who are exposed to these writings of Lewis are taught and understand the heavy use of symbolic references to the redemption account in the Bible. Jesus Christ is seen as the rescuing Messiah through the character of Aslan, the lion. The White Witch represents the illegitimate, rebellious ruler (Satan) of the fallen earth, Narnia, who stole the rightful rule of Narnia from mankind. Aspiring mankind is represented by the four children protagonists.
What is often missed by Christian critics of this work is that the interpretation of the Bible story by Lewis emphasizes not only the forgiveness dimension of the story, but also the redemption and restoration aspects as well.
In the beginning of the Bible account, man has it all. He has a relationship with God. He also has the role of ruler over the earth creation. He was designed for earth, having been given a body. However, man allowed a rebellion begun in the heavens to invade and contaminate the earth, causing man to lose his relationship with God and his position of rulership over the earth.
We learn in the movie that the arrival of the children in Narnia creates a furor of fear in the White Witch kingdom as she and her minions try to prevent the children from learning and attaining their destiny to reclaim their crowns and thrones of authority and power over Narnia.
The children need first to experience a rescue from the legal entanglement of having to serve the Witch. Earlier permission was given by man for rebellion to enter the earth. The rescue comes through the intervention of Aslan to present himself as an innocent sacrifice to pay of the debt of mankind and to rescue to children from any legal obligation to serve the White Witch's kingdom of continuing rebellion. The rescue is a free gift not able to be earned.
However, the death and later resurrection of Aslan was only the beginning of the end to the White Witch's kingdom of rebellion. The children were bought back (redeemed) from control of the Witch through the sacrifice of Aslan. Nevertheless, they still needed to be restored back to their rightful place as rulers of the earlier stolen kingdom of Narnia (earth).
There were lessons that had to be learned by the children. If they were not learned, they would not be able to hold on to their newly restored positions. They needed to learn obedience. The lack of obedience caused the earth to fall in the first place. Edmund, the younger brother, had big issues with obedience. His rebellion almost caused his entire family to be killed in the opening scene when London was being bombed in the "Blitz." His rebellion caused him to come under the domination of the Witch and made him a prisoner in chains. His rebellion caused him to betray his siblings and to place them in danger of death at the hand of the White Witch. Even after his redemption by Aslan, his continuous disobedience to orders from his older brother causes his near death.
Obedience brought victory and strength. Disobedience brought weakness and death.
The only way to defeat the spiritual enemy of rebellion was to follow Aslan and obey.
The only way for the children to be restored to their rightful place of rulership was through their battle in righteousness and obedience. Rebellion caused the problem. Obedience to Aslan would do away with the problem of rebellion.
The other lesson that had to be learned was how to partake in the battle to regain Narnia and to defeat the kingdom of the Witch. Aslan ordered that Peter learn how to maneuver the sword himself to be effective in battle. His sisters learned archery. They knew Narnia would not be given up without a fight.
Do we as Christians understand what Christ's goals for us happen to be?
The Gospel of the Kingdom is about the soon coming King and the restoration of the Kingdom back to the stolen earth. It is not about the soon escaping church. "The Chronicles of Narnia" are about the restoration of what was lost, not the changing of God's mind about what was "very good" in Genesis 1:31. All that He created in the beginning, including man's governance over the earth, was labeled by Him as "very good." The Bible does not teach that God changed His opinion along the way.
The children in the end are crowned and seated in their proper place on the thrones, governing Narnia and obeying God. There will never be the restoration of paradise until we learn how to love God and obey Him. Man will never be able to hang onto paradise until we learn how to obey God. Obeying God is not legalism, nor is it religious works. Obeying God is the defeat of the kingdom of rebellion of Satan.
Jesus the Messiah only taught us one prayer. Does this part of the prayer sound like the movie theme of "The Chronicles of Narnia"?
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven."
Earl A. Clampett Jr. is the author of the recently released book "God's Got a Problem," which can be purchased at WND's online store. He can be contacted at simpletruthministries.com. His experience includes careers in law as a judge and attorney as well as teaching at various colleges. He is also an ordained minister with almost a decade of jail chaplain ministry.