Three rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,

In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, one Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them,

In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.

The Nazgul: Mortal Men doomed to die

Long before the epic tale of The Lord of the Ring or even The Hobbit, the Dark Lord had deceived mankind, bringing upon them the curse of death. To the greatest of these ancient lords he gave the nine rings of power, to rule over their kingdoms, to plunder, destroy and conquer. These are the Nazgul, the living dead, who even as the story goes on are doomed to serve the Ring of Power, for to it were all the rings of power bound.

Stop if you will and think of ancient kings, kings who might have been noble, handsome, proud, strong, with voices that demanded respect and delivered justice. Men of honor. Men of legend ... until they were deceived. In their pride they received these rings of power and, yes, they were successful in enlarging their kingdoms, in conquering their foes, but in that self-same moment they lost all honor, they were no longer noble, no longer would they be remembered in legends except as terrifying beasts, shapeless forms that clothed themselves in black, riding about doing that which the Ring called out for them to do. They spoke with hissing, rather than those noble voices of old. They died, and yet could never die, nor could they ever live.

In the Garden of Eden the serpent tempted Adam and Eve. These two perfect human beings, upon giving in to that temptation, became dead. Physically they lived for many years, but they had died inside. That precious link, that relationship between them and their Creator was destroyed. They became like the Nazgul. All of their children were born into death because of that first sin. This is not to say that we are condemned because of what they did, but rather that we, as their children, inherited their weaknesses and committed sins of our own, establishing our own deadness to God.

For the Nazgul there was no release. Were it not for the shed blood of Jesus Christ we would also have no hope beyond theirs. All who refuse the mercy of God offered them in His Son are doomed to the same fate as the Nazgul, and worse.