The Bible in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe: The Queen of Narnia
““Isn’t the Witch herself human?” [asked Peter.]
“She’d like us to believe it,” said Mr. Beaver, “and it’s on that that she bases her claim to be Queen. But she’s no Daughter of Eve. She comes of your father Adam’s” — here Mr. Beaver bowed — “your father Adam’s first wife, her they called Lilith. And she was one of the Jinn. That’s what she comes from on one side. And on the other she comes from giants. No, no, there isn’t a drop of real human blood in the Witch.””
The entire basis of Jadis a.k.a. the White Witch’s rule of Narnia is based on the lie that she is human. From both The Magician’s Nephew and now The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we learn that Jadis is half-Jinn and half-”giantish”. Digory sums this up best in calling the Witch “hardly human.” Hardly human is right. But why would she make such an outrageous claim? Because she was there when the deep magic birthed Narnia and knew the prophecy:
“When Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done.”
The castle Cair Paravel
King Edmund, High King Peter, Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy enthroned at Cair Paravel
And it is this prophecy that causes great fear in the Witch. For in the words of the wise Mr. Beaver:
““There may be two views about humans (meaning no offense to the present company), but there’s no two views about things that look like humans and aren’t….In general, take my advice, when you meet anything that’s going to be human and isn’t yet, or used to be human once and isn’t now, or ought to be human and isn’t, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet. And that’s why the Witch is always on the lookout for any humans in Narnia. She’s been watching for you this many a year, and if she knew there were four of you she’d be more dangerous still.””
Jadis a.k.a. the White Witch
It puts me in mind of another pretender who stole into our world and usurped authority. In the Garden of Eden, the fallen Lucifer, in the form of a serpent, deceived the woman Eve, tricked her into eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, who then gave it to her husband who willingly accepted it. This caused their loss of Paradise and Fall from grace and thus, gave opportunity for Satan to set up rule in place of them. He became, as the Scripture says, the “god of this world.”
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Satan also has another, truer title:
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience… ”
The “Prince of the Power of the Air” is the legal term for Satan who rules legally, only in the second heaven. But of course, God, his angels, and even we may thwart him there whenever necessary.
So here we have the God of this World* and the Prince of the Power of the Air.
*I use the capital “G” as a title although we all know that there is no other God besides THE God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Any other is a pretender and a false god.
Jadis, on her false throne
And in these positions, he like the Witch, has infiltrated the earth and poisoned those who have been and are susceptible to his tactics. And his spirit yet penetrates.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test [try] the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. ”
Like Satan, this Witch Jadis had followers throughout the realm. Even the faun, Tumnus, was scared into following her rule, until Little Lucy stumbled into his world and infused him with new strength that could only have come from the Great Lion. Aslan himself said this of the Witch at the beginning:
““And now,” said Aslan, “Narnia is established. We must take thought for keeping it safe….We must talk together. For though the world is not five hours old an evil has already entered it.” ”
For those of you not familiar with The Magician's Nephew (which you should be at least a little bit by now *smile), young Digory who would grow up to be the Old Professor Kirke we see in “Lion,” his neighbor Polly Plummer had accidentally transported Jadis with them into our world after visiting her dying world, Charn. In an effort to correct their wrong, they took magic rings created by Digory’s Uncle Andrew and intentionally (as well as accidentally) transported not only themselves and the Witch, but the horse she was on, Strawberry, who would become Fledge; Fledge’s owner, the Cabby and Future King, Frank; as well as Uncle Andrew into a new world, smack dab in the midst of creation by Aslan Himself. It was by this chaos that Jadis entered into Aslan’s world and proposed a threat.
Mr. Tumnus meeting Lucy by the famous Lammpost
(It is also Jadis who accidentally planted the famous Lamppost when she took an iron bar she’d broken off a lamppost in our world, then cast it at the Lion in hopes of deterring Him. It did not work. But the iron fell on the young earth, sprang up into a “fully grown” lamppost, and eventually became known as “Lantern Waste.” Additionally, it was near this location that “the shining ‘city’ of ‘War Drobe,’ in the far ‘land’ of ‘Spare Oom’” propelled the four Pevensie children into Narnia.)
Jadis serves as a type of anti-Christ, an anti-Aslan if you will. And though not the last to be seen in the Chronicles (see The Last Battle), she is certainly formidable and we get a much better look at her than we do the other.
And what is the purpose of an anti-Christ or anti-Aslan? To come against the true Lion, to set themself against the true Lord, to sway the hearts and minds and souls of the peoples under their influence to believe in them instead of the Great Lion, be It Aslan or the Lion from the Tribe of Judah. This is precisely why the Apostle John warned us to “try the spirits.” Just as there were birds, animals, and even trees (nymphs) on the Witch’s side, so there are many spirits demonizing and infiltrating our peoples, homes, and congregations who seek to deceive us, gather information for their maniacal plans, and even do harm to us.
Aslan, coming to be sacrificed on the Stone Table by the Witch in place of Edmund
Even now, New Agers, witches, and satanists infiltrate our churches. They sit in our rows, they serve in the various departments, there are even some who are allowed to preach from the pulpits. And while some may play it subtle for the time being, others are not.
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, “These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: ‘I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.’””
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, “These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: ‘I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.“Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden.’””
Even in the Bible, these anti-Christs infiltrated the Early Church. So if they could be susceptible, how much more we who have largely been lulled into apathy through the comforts of the Western World? Take heed lest you also be deceived. The Bible even warns,
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Jadis at war with Aslan and all Narnia
Bu-bye Jads :)
After centuries, the Narnians were lulled into a sleep similar to that of the modern Western World. And in this lazy state (coupled with the presumed dying of the Tree of Narnia), the White Witch was able to take Narnia by whatever means suited her best and set up her illegal rule. A fair warning for the rest of us. We must take care to keep ourselves safe and free from deception.
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