The Last Rebellion.

“It Is The Doom of Men That They Forget” Excalibur 1981

A young man, accustomed to going where he will, came upon a wall that stretched across his path. In front of the wall stood an abandoned guardhouse and a sign post that read “You Shall Go No Further.”

The wall appeared old and in disrepair. From the cracks between the stones, tufts of grass and honey suckle grew in abundance, adding color and making the air smell sweet and fresh. A carpet of grass grew long and thick over what was once the path used to patrol between the guardhouses. Here and there wild flowers gently rustled in the breeze, giving the young man a sense of peace and tranquility.

Time and abandonment had taken its toll. From a distance it still appeared strong and impenetrable , but in truth, the fortification was only a shadow of its former self. Those who built the stone guardian had passed on and their decedents had forgotten its great purpose. The safety that it provided had been taken for granted.

“Bah!” said the young man, “I shall not be halted! That wall is old and of no consequence. Its command does not apply to me.” With that, he made a mad dash, throwing all his body weight against the old wall. For his effort, boulders dropped with a loud thud, encouraging him to try again. With each bash, more large stones surrendered their hold and fell to the ground. Feeling very powerful, the determined youth continued his assault against the stone blockade..“I am my own master", he reasoned, " I will go where I wish!” With that, he bashed through the final layers of stone.

Sadly, the young man never paused, not even for the briefest of moments, to consider why the wall had been built in the first place.

A dragon was awakened by the ruckus the young man was making. The sound of the wall crumbling beneath the man’s blows drew it close. At first it was a matter of curiosity. However, the moment he smelled human flesh his mouth began to water and his desire fixed on feeding. The dragon waited impatiently for the man to break through the wall. With each blow his meal came closer and closer. Soon another dragon came, responding to the first and then another and then another still. The excitement called dragon after dragon. The young man would not be enough to satisfy the appetites of so many. As their numbers grew, the gathering took on a more menacing reality. Soon all who lay beyond that crumbled wall would be theirs.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12