Last Sunday was Easter, the time set aside for Christians to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. His crucifixion was remembered on the preceding Friday. Without His resurrection, His death would have had no meaning to humanity. HE IS RISEN is a reason to rejoice and celebrate, not just once per year, but each and every day. So, why the short video clip above about a Prowling Lion? We know from a study of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, that Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Both genealogies in Matthew and Luke record that Jesus is a descendant of the tribe of Judah. Follow the thread of texts from Genesis 49:9-10, to Revelation 5:4-5, then to John 5:22 to confirm. But our blog today is not about the Lion of Judah, but about warnings given about another lion that roams and roars today upon this earth.
Our Nation was founded to a great extent upon Judeo/Christian history, beliefs and philosophies. To deny that this is true is to ignore any simplistic study of our Founding Fathers, their writings, communications, and documents. Over the decades, our Nation has become more and more secularized, replacing belief in a Creator with secularism. Just one obvious example reinforcing this fact was the 2024 annual Easter Egg roll and art contest at the White House. A flier circulated by the White House stated that “submissions should not include any ‘religious symbols’ or ‘overtly religious themes’. This is done in a bid to uphold the nation’s SECULAR values, especially in public events and activities.” (timesnownews.com; March 30, 2024; CAPS provided for emphasis.) There are those that will argue that this is nothing new, and that’s correct, because we have already stated that the secularization of our Nation has been in the works for decades. This is primarily because for generations we as a people in this great Nation have become complacent, finding ease in our having already achieved a perceived peace in our time. After all, we fought and helped to win two World Wars. As a Nation we have become the most powerful one of earth. We have become wealthy by the world’s standards. All the while we have wallowed in the ease of comfort, convenience, and the ever-ethereal illusion of peace. Many of us have bought into the “Health and Wealth Gospel.” (Refer to our blog on April 30, 2023.)
Those who reside on the political progressive left in our Nation have often poo-pooed all over those who claim a religious FREEDOM and LIBERTY, seeing them as weak-minded, needing a crutch of spirituality to get them through each day. Those religious conservatives on the right have basically ignored their verbal abuse, seeing it as a mild form of persecution, promised by scripture to all who truly believe. “Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12.) Many have unfortunately ignored the dangers expressed in the very next verse, verse 13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” For many on the conservative right, they have let down their guards, and have become easy prey to those described in verse 13 above. One of the dangers is that those who practice secularism, have appeared to be more and more like those on the conservative right, professing many similar values, but which are belied by their own actions. They speak of Jesus’s love, His commandments, His love and grace. They will quote scripture, but even Satan did that to Jesus when he was in the wilderness following His baptism. Unfortunately, many will come from the conservative side of politics to seek the destruction of true conservatives (2 Peter 2:1-3) bringing destruction not only upon themselves, but potentially upon those who listen to them. They speak like true conservatives but are actually “wolves” in “sheep’s” clothing (Matthew 7:15). Wolves are dangerous to sheep, but how much more dangerous is a lion?
We are in a spiritual war. Our Nation does not have a soul, but each one of us does. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a Roaring Lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8.) No, Satan does not look like a lion. The Apostle Peter uses a simile to describe Satan. The word “like” is used. There is a huge difference between the lion imagery of Jesus and Satan. Satan is “like” a lion, and Jesus is referred to AS the lion. Satan will try to mimic, while Jesus actually is. Here is something vital to understand. Observe a cat chasing a mouse. The cat will make no sound as it Prowls upon its prey. The real lion of the jungle hunts in similar manor, absent of any “Roaring”. When Peter says Satan Prowls “like” a Roaring lion, he actually says Satan will go hungry, for he can never catch his prey as long as the prey hears the “Roaring”. Lions in reality only “Roar” as an alarm or warning, just like that Ferrel cat you once tried to pet. It got all fuzzed up and hissed, with that deep-throated growl. (Analogies complement of thewildolive.org.)
We believe our warning today is two-fold. There are those in our society today who seem to exemplify religiosity by their words. They speak, or “Roar”, claiming to be non-secular, while actually supporting and practicing ideologies far from conservatism. They are a threat to our Nation’s FREEDOM and LIBERTY, guaranteed not originally by our Nation’s Constitution, but first and most importantly by our Creator. These are people we can see and monitor, to be watchful and mindful of as they “Prowl” and “Roar”. The second is more cunning and eternally dangerous if you are caught. He is Satan who seeks those who fail to hear his “Roar” as he “Prowls” seeking whom he may devour. You cannot see him, but he is always nearby. Be ever watchful. Be purposeful in your living. Our Nation’s survival depends upon it, as does your eternal survival.