I wrote this to address the temptation of thinking… when I know what’s happening, I then have the ability to turn the clock back to the “good ol’ days”.
I’ve heard teaching about Satan, as a roaring lion, is just noise. Christ has completely “disabled” his threat to us.
Has God completely disabled the threat?
Even though Jesus Christ crushed the grip of Satan, sin, and the world on us at the Cross, He has chosen to let him continue to exist in this current world. It’s still fallen, cursed, and dirty with disease because of sin—there’s still temptation to sin (Matthew 6:13; 26:41; Luke 21:36).
Satan is ferocious, a real threat… and deadly. He looks for every opportunity to rip us apart. God also describes this threat as… the leviathan (Job 41; Psalm 74:13-15; 104:25-26; Isaiah 27:1-3; Revelation 12-13).
The world peace plans to save and rescue the world… the social gospel crowd… believes they can conquer this age for Jesus—they can setup their version of a “good kingdom” to hand-off to Him, like a quarterback in a football running play, when He returns. Some believe He won’t, allowing us to be the head coach, the pilot of the plane, for good. They believe they can put “Satan in his place of defeat”. According to the Bible… they’re going to get “ripped apart”, destroyed, if they take on the leviathan, Satan, head-on.
Did not God put Job in his place by showing him no man can conquer this beast?
Even Jesus, when He walked the earth, didn’t get into a “head-on battle” with Satan. He deferred to the Word of God… His Father’s will… when tempted by him (Matthew 4:1-10; 26:46-54). As God, He had the power to destroy Satan on the spot. Instead, He deferred to His own Word—what is written about Himself in the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament and confirmed by the Apostles in the New Testament… the Will of His Father, God. And, God’s Will included… the Cross.
There’s no winning by tangling with this world. This has not been easy for me to swallow having experienced life as a cowboy and rancher in the American West. Those that have know what I mean.
Am I left helpless without hope?
No, but I have to be aware… be sober, be vigilant against Satan’s schemes. I have to be strong in the Lord by putting on His full armor (Ephesians 6:10-18).
I have to recognize this roaring lion is on a “search and destroy mission”. I’m going to look for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ, to shelter-in-place. I’m going to shelter under His wings and let Him fight the leviathan… the roaring lion, Satan.
(As a little boy growing up on a mesa and foothills ranch, my parents warned me… that when out playing, I should periodically look up and do a “scan” of my surroundings for bear or other threatening predators. If I saw one, I wanted to make sure I could make a run for it and make it back home to safety.)
I not ashamed to think… that I’m like a “little kid hotfooting back to Pappa”, when I hear the… roar.
According to Job 41, who can do what He wants with the leviathan? Is it not the God of Israel… the Son of God… the Son of David… the King of kings… the Lord of lords?
Who am I going to trust?
Was it not who David, the young warrior, trusted in to fight Israel’s giant leviathan at that time… Goliath, the Philistine?
Did David use the lesson learned about Goliath to make his decision later on, when confronted about his sin of conducting a census on Israel? God gave him 3 choices for punishment—two of trusting in punishment by the hands of men, or to trust God to directly handle the punishment. David chose the God of Israel.
1 Chronicles 21 13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.
Who did Daniel trust? What happened to his accusers who didn’t trust the God of Israel? Didn’t they get ripped apart by the teeth of lions? However, Daniel was protected, sheltered, from the same teeth.
Who are we instructed to choose?
1 Peter 5 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
James 4:6-8 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Psalm 50 14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Psalm 91 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Satan is the god of this world who roars with the “froth of rage”. The world is intoxicated with the darkness of his lies—as a drunkard, it also “froths out the slurs”, with a heavy thick tongue, of “incoherent words of confusion” passed-off as “wisdom” (Proverbs 28:14-16; Isaiah 30:2-3; 45:15-16; Jeremiah 3:24-25).
One can be sober, but if they continue to listen to “garbage hustled as treasure”, they start to become “under the influence of”. Their eyelids become droopy as they start to “fall off the wagon”. They’re seduced out of sobriety into becoming Satan’s possessed and addicted prostitutes, again.
Now engrossed in delusion, they can no longer recognize what the world is spewing out is… the “vomit of its drunkenness”. Like a dog returning to its vomit, they prefer it to the food that once nourished them… the Word of God, True Wisdom.
However… there’s redemption, healing, and restoration still available for anyone willing to repent and change the direction they’re headed. It’s still day… the night has not arrived.
1 Thessalonians 5 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For those who choose to be cured, there’s shelter from the deception, turbulence, and destruction of Satan and the world… the leviathan (Psalm 17:7-9; 63:6-8; Matthew 23:37-38; Mark 4:18-20; Luke 21:33-35; Psalm 2:1-3; 107:23-31; 46:6-7; Isaiah 24:19-21).
The Lord… the Lion of the Tribe of Judah… will be the roaring Lion of the age-to-come who will destroy the roaring lion of this age. When He does, the storm will become quiet and the waters will become still (Joel 3:15-17; Isaiah 42:12-18; Psalm 107:28-31; Mark 4:37-40; Matthew 14:25-33).
Christ Jesus, our Redeemer, is faithful and true… worthy of our committed and loyal sole pursuit and trust for our Healing and Salvation.
Come… Lord Jesus. Maranatha!
Isaiah 33 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.
All text reference scripture quoted or discussed is King James Version unless otherwise noted. Bold, colored lettering, brackets [my understanding of things right now… or possible cross-reference scripture… scripture that comes to mind], and underline… mine.
Hope Is Here... The Road Home 