God's Hidden Message in
"The Wizard of Oz"

Does God still speak to man by means of visions and dreams? The Bible says God doesn't change and he is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore He must speak to us today by means of visions and dreams. But where are they? The Wizard of Oz movie is one such vision. How do we know? Because of the amazing similarities to reality contained within it's brief script to events that happened 40 years after it was produced. Too many parallels exist for mere haphazard chance. "Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."

Many members of the Worldwide Church of God have been struck and fascinated by the close parallels to reality contained in this movie. What parallels?

First notice the poster above. Three words "Gaiety, Glory Glamour" -- three "G"s. Notice how the three "G"s look like upside down "6"s making "666." Yes, Ambassador College had a problem with Gay ministers and with those seeking Glory and alluring romance (Glamour). Nevertheless, Christians who "Triumph" and "Win" the "Gold" in this "Metropolis" will each be made a "Mayer" over ten cities. Notice the yellow banner in an "S" shape. This typifies the "yellow brick road" which is not synonymous with the "way which leadeth unto life" (Matt. 7:14), but instead typifies the road that people travel using both their Bible and their brain -- deciding right or wrong -- just as Dorothy traveled on the dirt road by Miss Gulches' place and was told to use her brain and instead avoid Miss Gulch. Remember that the "yellow brick road" had a couple forks in the road, not a characteristic of "the way which leadeth unto life."

Actually the yellow brick road is symbolic for a "gold-only" economic standard road which was much easier for the central bankers (financial wizards) to control since they owned most of it anyway and could make all the rules (just as the hierarchy of the WCG makes all the rules). The Wizard of Oz was basically a metaphor for going to the gold-only standard. A man wrote an article that’s on the Gold-Eagle Web site about how the gold-only standard eventually leads to the fiat paper system, but when you have bi-metalism, which is where you have both gold and silver circulating freely, not necessarily a fixed ratio by government but what the market could decide, you have a much freer and safer system. Dorothy’s shoes were originally silver in The Wizard of Oz and Oz is short for ounce . Web of Debt, a book by Ellen Hodgson Brown, explains it very well.

The most obvious parallel is Herbert Armstrong himself (Frank Morgan or frankly "More Gain") who is "Professor Marvel" or the Wizard of Oz -- "Acclaimed by the Crowned Heads of Europe" -- "Let him read your past, present and future in his crystal" just as HWA mainly dealt with prophetic Bible topics that have been, are being and will be fulfilled. He has visited Prince Charles and the royalty of Holland and Golda Meir of Israel. Marcos of the Philippines and others. These words were portrayed across the side of his horse-drawn wagon. He owns a hot air balloon that he uses for "a quick getaway" just as many church members recognize that HWA can vent a lot of hot air when it is necessary to his defense. His middle initial "W" never stood for anything -- but this movie makes it clear that it is "Wonderful Wizard." Emerald City is of course the Pasadena Campus with its beautiful Auditorium and green marble. "The great Oz has spoken" is merely HWA spouting off trying to take the authority of God himself. Christ is the great "Alpha and Omega" or "AZ" -- not "OZ." "You're a humbug. You're a very bad man. No my dear. I'm a very good man. I'm a very bad wizard." He never renounced the "blind obedience" and idolatry inherent in his church. He talks about the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" which are White, Red, Black and Pale. In the Emerald City, he has a "horse of a different color" -- it keeps changing color -- but not the colors specified by the Bible. This may indicate that his empire is somewhat "Roman" or the U.S. is "Roman." One student related that his mother achieved success as a choir leader and a jealous friend said, "I never would have thought of you Dot," to which his mother replied, "Well the Professor did." After hearing this story, HWA offered the leadership of the church to the student. The student declined.

The next character we encounter is "Hulk" who tells Dorothy she has straw for brains and should know better than to walk by Miss Gulch's place. "Use your head" he says. He becomes the "Scarecrow" who is stuck on a pole up his back. In order for him to come down from the pole, Dorothy must "Bend the nail down in the back." Herman Lincoln Hoeh (Ray Bolger "Vulgar") is the scholar of the church and perhaps the smartest minister in the WCG. He wants to "be another Lincoln." Unknown to most of the membership, he is also a homosexual, hence the pole and nail symbolism, brown nose on the scarecrow and the "Super XXXX" symbolism. "Straws" are sucked and blown through. He can't stand "upright" but keeps "falling down" morally. He is a "fertility sacrifice" -- which is what a scarecrow was anciently used for. A real victim was crucified to have fertile crops next year. The scarecrow wears a witches' cap possibly indicating lack of righteousness. Nevertheless he is so harmless even crows are not afraid of him. He is one minister at Pasadena that didn't persecute students. Notice that he solves most of the problems in the movie. He gets the apples for Dorothy by insulting the trees. He uses the tin man's axe to cut the chandelier so it will fall on the witches' troops. When everyone starts to fall asleep (Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion), due to the poppies (hypnotic sermons requiring happiness and obedience), he says, "This is a spell. Help." Then the snow comes and the tin man is rusted again but the scarecrow oils him with the Holy Spirit which God gives to those who obey him. Since a "straw man" argument is a misrepresentation of the opponent's position and then refuting it, thus giving the appearance that the opponent's actual position has been refuted, we can say that Herman Hoeh was made to look like a witch and his biblical knowledge was made to look like a "a strawy epistle." He was discredited by means of his homosexuality -- "tearing down a straw man" -- even though he was teaching the Bible faithfully. Thus the enemies of the Bible found a way to ridicule the Bible. His name "Hoeh" is pronounced "hay" which is of course what scarecrows are made of -- straw and hay. Many members of the Worldwide Church of God were struck by the close similarity of appearance between these actors and HWA and HLH.

"Zeke" tells Dorothy to "Have a little courage and spit in her eye." Yet he is afraid of pigs. He is the "Cowardly Lion" who is condemned by Dorothy for "picking on things weaker that you are." He says, "I'm afraid of sheep." "My life has been simply unbearable." Some commentators think this was due to a divorce he had. "Born to be a Sissy. I'm a Dandi-LION." Raymond F. McNair is Scottish -- a Lion (Bert Lahr "Liar"). He continually tells students to eat more wheat germ to have the "nerve" to act masculine. Also he preached a sermon showing that it is biblical to lie and he cited many biblical examples. He is crowned king by both the tin woodsman and scarecrow just as RFM is the "Dean of Faculty" at AC. Daniel 7 demonstrates that God gives men the mind of a wild beast when they refuse to acknowledge him. He wants the trees to kneel and the mountains to bow to HIM -- not God. His great concern was that students pick up cigarette butts from the Campus walkways -- while ignoring the much more important problems of "blind obedience" and Church Government. As one student unintentionally commented, "Next he will have us all weeding out the Dandilions from the dichondra."

"Hickory" (Jack Haley) says, "Someday they're going to erect a statue to me in this town" so he becomes the metal statue that is rusted solid. Daniel 2 describes a metal statue that portrays the worship of men. Notice that TIN is not as valuable as gold, silver, or brass. Roderick C. Meredith is guilty of teaching "church government" which is idolatry and blind obedience. It is represented by an upside down funnel on his head, preventing truth from entering. A student remarked, "Off the top of my head" I can think of several ways an upside down funnel is appropriate for RCM. He initially rejected the Talmud wholesale and the practice of wearing tassels and unsmiling students. What does "off the top of my head" mean? It means "without thinking" and that is the meaning of an upside-down funnel. He has no heart, no kindness toward students. Just strict orders. His problem is that he has no Holy Spirit -- a lack of oil (oil can). This tin woodsman has an "axe to grind" when he gives his lectures, making his audience squirm. To justify his funnel, Meredith has said several times, "Guard your mind, students" as if an inverted funnel were a good thing.

"Dorothy" (Judy Garland "wreath of flowers") is a British mother of an AC student "David" who is her "toto" or all the children she has. This student is depicted as a "black dog" because that typifies the depression and "guilt trips" this A.C. student suffered. Just as "Dorothy" fell into a pig pen, so David's mother flew by plane from Britain to visit Pasadena. Her house fell from a "Kansas star," because her son had fallen and injured his head while climbing the face of a cliff. But he lived. He bit Elmirah Gulches' ankle and "She hit Toto over the back with a rake." "He got away, he got away" from the basket coffin. When she came to Pasadena in 1981, she made it a point to tell the ministry that their persecution of students was unbiblical. Then she remained at AC to ensure that the ministry didn't persecute students behind her back. The wicked witch of the east therefore was the Big Sandy campus (Don Ward) and the wicked witch of the west was the Pasadena campus (Greg Albrecht). Both were eventually "liquidated" due to God using Dorothy and her dog to expose them. Members then recognized this movie as a vision pinpointing the idolatry in the church. "Who would think you, a little girl, could destroy my beautiful wickedness" said the wicked witch of the west. As for the charge that "Toto is a menace to the community," this charge was proven false. He simply pulled back the curtain on the intimidation and coercion techniques of the Wizard of Oz. "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore" because she was in California -- "a land of fruits and nuts." "Surrender Dorothy" indicated how desperate the ministry became to get rid of her. The ruby slippers are simply her obedience to God -- her walking with God which was so beautiful and valuable. This woman literally threw a bucket of water on several of the most deserving ministers out of a desire to obey God's vision. She also purchased a pair of ruby slippers and a woven basket while in California.

"Elmirah Gulch" is the wicked witch of the East and West. She owns "half the county" and has been doing evil for 23 years. Figuring back from 1981 that would be 1958. This is probably the date when Big Sandy and/or Pasadena Campus opened or began teaching "blind obedience." Don Ward and Greg Albrecht may have been the two fulfillments, although there is some disagreement of opinion. Her green soldiers are "green with envy." "Glinda -- the good witch of the North" is speculated to be Loma Linda University which is north of Pasadena and Big Sandy and belongs to Seventh -Day Adventists who don't persecute their students.

The chicks being transferred from the broken incubator to the open air world is symbolic of the Munchkins (man chickens) gaining their "Day of Independence" after Dorothy killed the witch or told the ministry to stop oppressing students. Notice the stunted growth of these dwarfs because of their artificial environment. Lollipops and Lullabys and well landscaped lawns are all artificial just like the people. Students at A.C. have been likened to Chipmunks and yellow pencils. "People come and go so quickly here" because of being disfellowshipped or persecuted. "The sooner you get out of Oz altogether the better you are." Less guilt trips. The poppies are "Attractive to the eyes and soothing to the smell" but poisonous. "Poppies will put them to sleep." "Religion is the opiate (opium from poppies) of the people." Both campuses are beautifully landscaped with flower-beds. But "the wicked witch is dead. Rub your eyes, Get out of bed." Get out of all environments that stunt spiritual growth such as "blind obedience" and oppressive coercion of a ministry teaching idolatry. Too much reliance on ministers.

The blue flying monkeys are "monks, monkeying around (with the Bible and with Christians) in their monkeries" according to Gerald Waterhouse. They are the equivalent of the sherriff and courts of Elmirah Gulch. Any minister that monkeys around with the scriptures is a "monk, monkeying around in his monkery." They are "blue in the face" (exhausted) in their slavery and servitude to the "blind obedience" and idolatry in the church.

Uncle Henry Gale typifies the twister itself with its gale-force winds which portrays God ("pillar of the cloud") who is the father of Dorothy and the power behind everything.

Aunt Emily Gale (Aunt Em) is the true church. This is, to the best of my ability, the true interpretation of this VISION, although there are necessarily some additional details that must remain private.

This movie accurately portrays the fact that everyone seems to know what everyone else is doing by means of crystal balls. The wizard and the witch and Glinda all have one. What is it? The ministry continually used students to spy on other students by asking the student questions and recording the answers using a hidden tape recorder. Then they preached a sermon against the one they disapproved of and thereby laid a "guilt trip" on the student. Of course this is occultic and bondage of the worst kind. Both the Wizard of Oz and the Cowardly Lion are seen using angry intimidation against others just as it was at A.C.

Almost every chapter in the Book of Revelation is based on astronomy. Therefore it should be expected that we also find Toto in Canis Minor; the Garland in Corona Borealis according to Germany; Capricornus is the Hot Air Balloon according to Germany; and the Ruby Slippers are Andromeda and Cassiopeia according to the Chinese with a dragon on them to show that the wicked will be ashes under the soles of our feet.

The same God who created this microcosm of an analogy dealing with individuals in 1939 -- 40 years before it happened -- also created the Books of Daniel and Revelation dealing with the broad sweep of nations 2000 and 2500 years before it happened.

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