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.
