The Lawless Man, the Ageless One

This passage of Scripture takes us to a dark day in human history, accompanied by the best news there is. Evil trembles within us all and roams the earth, too, with a fast-approaching deadline. The machinations of the darkness and his dominion are not only real but even now overtaking the kingdoms of earth. Yet, like the rock-hewn feet of Shelley's "Ozymandias" languishing in the desert of the past, so this real reign of evil, imagined here in stone edifice, shatters at the touch of the voice of the I AM.

The steps of his altar are emblazoned with the eternal cry of the evil one, famously encapsulated by Anton Lavey, and his gesture a mockery of true peace. The moon sigil perches on his head like a crown of darkness, and his demeanor is political in affect, with all the trappings of human-made leadership. Above his head, though, the infernal number is overshadowed by the Christus Victor.

We are reminded of the searing light of Truth, the glorious and terrifying hope in the One who spoke the heavens and who spoke peace to those far and near by His blood.