For most gospel magicians, the idea of using a trick like the Patriotic Ropes for a lesson on the trinity is nothing new. It is an obvious connection of magic effect and message concept. What you are about to read is my handling and patter for such a lesson. I realize some magicians understand the trick can be used to illustrate the trinity, but struggle with patter and presentation. My hope is gospel magicians will find it helpful to be able to read what someone else has done with the concept.
What happens?
Three ropes are tied together. Each rope is a different color. After wrapped around the magician’s hand, then unwrapped again, they are seen to have become one rope, composed of the three colors. This is used as an example of how God is three, yet one.
How it’s done?
The Patriotic Ropes is a classic effect. It is available from most magic dealers. It is inexpensive and easy to do. The design is clever. Fundamentally, the magician does nothing more than keep two small knots hidden in his hand as he wraps the ropes around his hand. By way of the setup and gimmick of the trick, that’s all there is to performing the illusion.
Because it is a low cost trick, some overlook it or undervalue it. The effect is superb.
Required
Patriotic Rope trick (Highly recommended).
Setup
Standard handling of the ropes. They are preset and ready to go.
Presentation
Start with the ropes in your hand. Hold them up so the audience becomes interested in what you are about to do with them.
“Here is a very important question; how many Gods are there? Would you say there is only one? Let’s think about it. These ropes will illustrate the proper answer to the question. In Scripture we read about God the Father. The blue rope will help us think about Him.”
Untie the three ropes at a knot point and then apparently tie the blue rope to the white rope. Leave the red rope dangling down.
“I ask you again, how many Gods are there? Do you still say there is only one? Well now, the Bible also tells us about God the Son. This red rope will help us think about Him.”
Untie the other knot point and apparently tie the red rope to the white rope. The effect is that of having knotted together three different colored ropes; a red one, a blue one, and a white one.
“This white rope will help us think about God the Holy Spirit. Now yet again, how many Gods are there? You still answer, one? That is good! It is exactly what the Bible teaches. There are not three separate gods. There is only one. This is the great mystery we call the Trinity. God eternally co-exists within Himself as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three are only one. The one is yet three.”
Start wrapping the ropes in your hand, removing the knots in the process and preparing to show the ropes as only one length of rope.
“This is difficult to understand, but it is nevertheless what the Bible tells us. It is like this rope…”
Unwind the rope from your hand and show it as only one rope…of three colors.
“We no longer have three individual ropes tied together. Instead, it is just one rope composed of three colors. So it is, with God. He is only one, yet he eternally exists as three persons. What you have just seen me do is only an illusion. As an illusion, it is a simple reminder of an eternal reality. When seeing this illusion, you wonder, how did he do it? You know it is not possible to turn three ropes into one, but you also see that I have some means of making it seem to happen. When we think about God, we wonder, how can He be three, yet one, and one, yet three? We do not know how that can be, but we do know that God made us, we did not make Him. He does many things we do not understand. God is who He is and He is able to do anything He chooses to do. God has told us, in His Word, that He is three in one. Because He is God, we can trust that He is exactly who He says He is. The Scripture teaches it, so we believe it. It is one of the great doctrines of Christianity. We call it the Trinity. It means God truly is three in one.”
By Duane Laflin, ChristianIllusionist.com
This article originally appeared in The Voice of FCM, vol. 62 num. 2.
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