Rabies and Satan

Posted on by tamaraweed

I love animals. Living where I do in North Carolina, I get to see and interact with more of God’s creatures than I ever did before in my life, and God has used my experiences with those animals twice now when He leads me to write in what I call my “God Centered Blog” writings.  Once with the squirrels and now with an incident with a rabid raccoon. 

One day in 2021, on my way back and forth from Church (morning and evening), I saw a raccoon in the road, which I assumed was dead.  In the four trips passing it, it changed positions several times, but didn’t move from the spot I’d first seen it.  Finally, on my last drive home, I figured out that it definitely wasn’t dead.  If you know me a little bit, you know that I’ll try to rescue any hurt animal, if I can, so I stopped.  My first thought was to call animal control, which I did, and left a message on their voicemail. 

In the meantime, as I was making the call, the raccoon sat up.  I backed up my truck until I was next to it and opened my door. The raccoon was facing away from me and didn’t turn toward me.  Thinking that animal control wasn’t going to make it, I decided to call my Pastor who had grown up around here and was probably familiar with hurt wildlife.  Luckily, he was still at the church and close by.  While I waited for help, I reached out and touched the raccoon.  I always wanted to see what their fur felt like.  When I touched it, the raccoon didn’t move.  It just continued to sit there, so I reached out one more time and touched it again.  When I touched it, it still didn’t turn around toward me, but it definitely tensed and then hissed.  I decided that I better not take any more chances.  When help arrived, a minute or so later, it was agreed that the raccoon wasn’t acting right and that it probably had rabies.  (I later found out more about rabies and that it involves progressive paralysis and lethargy. where the animal becomes weak, unable to stand, and lies down passively due to disorientation – this is called Dumb Rabies.  Before that stage is the excitable stage or form of rabies that leads to agitation and aggression – think Old Yeller – called Furious Rabies.)  This raccoon was definitely in the dumb rabies part of the disease.  As we all know, rabies, if left untreated or not caught soon enough, is fatal for both animals and humans.

So how does Satan relate to a rabid raccoon story?  Let me see if I can tie it together sufficiently.

The raccoon wasn’t acting like what I would have expected a rabid animal to act like, so I didn’t think of rabies.  It looked harmless on the outside, but the rabies virus, hidden inside, was attacking the central nervous system and creating a horrible end for the raccoon.

I think we all know someone who says they don’t believe in the devil. Perhaps it’s because a certain industry has made a big deal about showing the devil dressed in red, with a pointy face, with horns coming out of his head, deep-set eyes, a menacing smile, and a tail. Or perhaps it’s because Satan counts on the fact that you don’t believe in him and enhances that thought within you.  Satan doesn’t look or act like who he really is.  He doesn’t come looking decidedly evil, with flashing signs and billboards announcing who he is or what his real goal is.  He comes, smiling harmlessly, with hidden intent.  Insidious and deadly like the rabies virus. 

What most people don’t realize, or think about, is that Satan (or Lucifer) was a created angel in heaven, and he was the most beautiful of all the angels created. (Ezekiel 28:13-14) 13. “You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone— red carnelian, pale‑green peridot, white moonstone, blue‑green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald— all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. 14. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.”

But Satan became prideful and wanted to be greater than God.  (Isaiah 14:12-14) 12. “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.” 

And for the iniquity in his heart (his sins), God cast him out of heaven.  (Ezekiel 28:15-16) 15. “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.” 16. Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.”

 Lucifer is the little god that rules over this earth, and his one desire is to hurt God. He goes out of his way to do as much damage to the one thing that God loves the most (the human soul) while he still can.  Satan is known as the Father of Lies, and all he has to do is whisper, “There’s no such thing as a devil,” and if you don’t know the Word of God, then that whispered lie settles comfortably over you, and his seed of doubt starts working toward a horrible end for your soul.

We are made up of body, soul, and spirit.  The physical body only lasts so long.  The soul lasts for eternity.  It can only be saved by repentance of your sinful nature (spirit), and belief in the One who came so that you could have everlasting life; Jesus Christ.  We were created for something more than this physical world.  We were created for an eternal, joyful relationship with God, and Satan would like nothing better than to keep you away from that relationship.  Satan doesn’t care about you at all, but if he can convince you that he isn’t real and keep you from having a relationship with God, he’s won the only victory he will ever get. That’s his real intent; for you to spend eternity without God,  and that, for your soul, is as fatal as rabies is for the body.

Just because I didn’t know about rabies and how it acts, and didn’t think my raccoon had it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t real or that the raccoon didn’t have it.  I took chances I shouldn’t have taken.  I wasn’t prepared for what could have happened.  The horrible effects of rabies, if that raccoon had turned and bitten me, would have been to my body like the horrendous effects of a life without God throughout eternity for my soul.

Unlike our time on this earth, eternity doesn’t end.  Your physical body will give out one day, but your soul will live on, and where it ends up is the most important decision you will ever make, now, in this life here on earth.  Just because you choose not to believe in Satan doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist; he is real.  As real as rabies, and just as deadly.

Don’t take chances with where your soul spends eternity.

Heaven and Hell

Posted on by tamaraweed

In the span of two weeks, the same passage in God’s Word was preached to me and my fellow church members. At the same church. By two different preachers that were not in correspondence with each other. Each preacher gave the message according to their particular style of preaching, but the message was the same. The verse they both preached on was Luke 16:19-31.

That’s not a coincidence.  That’s God. He wants to reach everyone that He can, to show the way to eternal life with Him.  We, that believe, are His church.  His church is not a building made of brick and mortar, but of PEOPLE who HEAR His message and can share it with others in the hopes of bringing another soul to heaven.

Luke 16:19-31 talks about the Rich man and Lazarus, the beggar.  The rich man lived in extravagance every day.  Food, clothing, shelter, wine – you name it, and he had it. He ate good food, he wore fine linen clothes, he was warm, dry, and comfortable.  Lazarus, the beggar, who the bible tells us was full of sores, laid at the rich man’s gate every day hoping for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table.

The bible says, it came to pass that Lazarus died and so did the rich man.  Lazarus was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom (this was not heaven but was a place where souls that believed in God went before Jesus died to give us a way into heaven); and that the rich man also died and was buried.

The rich man, the bible tells us, entered hell and was in torments.  He lifted his eyes and saw that Lazarus was in Abraham’s bosom.  He cried out to Abraham and asked for mercy.  He asked that Lazarus be sent down with just a drop of water to cool his tongue for he was in torment in the flames.  Abraham tells him that he can’t send Lazarus because there is a great gulf between them that is fixed so that those that are in Abraham’s bosom cannot pass into hell and those that are in hell cannot pass into Abraham’s bosom.

The rich man then pleads for Abraham to send Lazarus to the house of the rich man’s father where he has brethren so that Lazarus could testify to them so that THEY did not end up in hell – the place of torment that he was now in.  Abraham tells him no; they have Moses and the prophets that they should listen to. The rich man responds with, “No father Abraham, but if you were to send them one from the dead, they will repent.”  And Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead”. (Interesting choice of words back then – before Jesus.  Jesus hadn’t come yet, but he was coming, and he did rise from the dead and he has testified – and how many people to this day, still won’t HEAR?)

The rich man was not sent to hell because he was rich. He was sent because although he had heard the Word of God through Moses and the prophets, he believed them not.  This isn’t a message about being rich or being poor.  It’s about belief and non-belief.  It’s God trying to bring us back to HIM because He loves us.  It’s God giving you free will to make a choice but he’s letting you know what’s behind each choice in the hope that you will choose eternal life with Him. When we die, our bodies are what give out.  Our physical heart stops.  But our soul and our spirit continue on.  Where we continue on to is the question.  There are only two places.  Heaven and Hell.  This world is already condemned to hell.  We chose that when Eve listened to Satan in the Garden of Eden.  That’s when humans fell from God.  And HE has been trying to reach us ever since and give us a way to get back to him.  To do that, HE sent Jesus, his only begotten son, to be the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Do you believe in Heaven?  Do you believe in Hell?  Does your unbelief make either of them not real?

No.

Does my belief make either of them real?

No.

They are real because God says so, in HIS Word – The Bible.  I have no doubt that if you don’t believe there is a hell, you WILL believe after a few mere seconds there.  The sad part is it will be too late to do anything about it at that point. 

Do you know what NO mercy looks like?  I don’t because God grants me mercy every day.  Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve.  The punishment that we deserve for our sins.  The punishment that Jesus took upon himself on the cross.  I don’t want to even imagine what it would be like with no mercy.

Luke 16:24 says the rich man cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

But it was too late for mercy.

In Hell God isn’t there.  There is no God there to grant you mercy.  Your friends and family that have gone before you, that didn’t believe in Jesus, . . . they’re there, but they aren’t just waiting for you to get there so you can have a party with a keg of beer. No, they’re like the rich man . . . in torment and wishing for a drop of water . . . and mercy.  If they could send someone to you, to tell you to repent and to believe . . . they would.

But THEY don’t have to because GOD already did.  God sent his only begotten son so that WE might have eternal life in heaven with HIM. He sent Jesus to die on that cross for you, and for me.  Can you imagine, even for a second, giving up one of your children to die on the cross for your neighbor? For the man that stands on the corner begging for change?  I couldn’t.

God did. That’s Grace.

The tomb where Jesus was laid stands empty to this day because Jesus rose and defeated death for you and for me. Jesus lives. Jesus saves. And Jesus loves every single one of us. 

Do you have family members or friends who are lost, like the rich man? Have you heard the Word of God through someone in your family or a friend, but choose to not believe?

Where you spend your eternal life IS important. We don’t have the luxury of saying “I have my whole life ahead of me to make that decision”, because we don’t.  Eternity is one last breath away.  One last heartbeat away.  Eternity is an inch away from your nose as you drive down the highway to work each day. The choice of where you’ll spend eternity needs to be made here, and now, because once this body dies, if you haven’t repented and accepted Jesus as your savior – it’s too late.

Don’t be like the rich man, who lives on even today in hell wishing for one drop of water. Seek God – Choose Heaven over hell.