Real world reminders

[Nuranar]

I was reading my Bible, in Isaiah, just a few minutes ago and a verse really stood out to me. It's at the end of Chapter 5, and Isaiah is describing the coming of the nations - or specifically, Assyria - to destroy Israel for disobedience.

Their roar is like that of the lion,
they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue.
In that day they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.
And if one looks at the land,
he will see darkness and distress;
even the light will be darkened by the clouds.

Isaiah 5:29-30 (NIV) (bold mine)

As I read that last part, without even trying I saw Mordor and the cloud of darkness that rested over it, and the darkness that reached out to Minas Tirith when it was attacked. I'm not pointing out any deeper significance, or trying to find parallels between disobedient Israel and decadent Gondor. It just stood out. LotR was the last thing on my mind as I was reading, and yet those verses brought it to mind without any effort.