How wise You were to decline the Devil’s offer of the kingdoms of the earth – as he proudly explained – in his gift alone! The offer, as You well understood, was fraudulent; there are no kingdoms – only script-writers, make-up girls, a wardrobe mistress, a stage manager. As for that other kingdom, Yours – it alone is real. The Cross is real wood, the nails are real iron, the vinegar truly tastes bitter, and the cry of desolation is live, not recorded.

—   Malcolm Muggeridge, Jesus Rediscovered