This year hasn’t even gotten
off the ground and a beloved pet of ours is gone. I had to
take Mittens, our
little black and white cat, to the vet this past Friday to be put to sleep. The
agony of that experience still haunts me, and the pain is real.
I’ve had a lot of pets, cats
and dogs but mostly cats, since I was a child, but I have never been as
attached to any as I have Mittens. She lived four years and eight months, and
during all that time she was my shadow (that is not an exaggeration). She and
her sister Pepper have never been outside, so you can imagine the attachment,
considering I’ve been retired five years and nine months.
I keep thinking about death
and who is responsible for this curse on mankind. We all die. Some live many
years and become old, while others’ lives are cut short, as in the case of my
little friend, Mittens.
We have all faced death one
way or another, whether through a pet, a family member or a friend. My wife and
I have been there and so have all of you.
I realize that the fall of
Adam and Eve brought death not just upon them, but upon us all. However, the
real malefactor is Satan. He has brought so much heartache upon all of mankind,
only God could fix it, and He did just that through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because Satan is consumed
with so much pride, he temporarily ruined what God had created. Notice that I
said “temporarily.”
Through Adam and Eve we
listened to Satan and were sucked into his vacuum of evil. Death fell upon
God’s creation. Because of the corrupted mind of Satan, everything dies. Wood
rots. Metal rusts. Oceans are polluted. The ground is choked with weeds. Man
and beast age and die. Actually, everything ages and eventually dies.
Death claims us all through,
not only aging, but wars, sicknesses, pestilences, accidents, murders, and
catastrophes of every kind. Everything that brings misery upon man and beast is
the result of one fallen angel who we know as Satan (and by many other names).
Jesus said Satan is the
father of all liars (John 8:44), but people still listen to him, just as Eve
did many years ago. For example, God says that sex is to be between a man and a
woman who are married to each other; i.e. husband and wife, male and female.
Satan says all sex is permissible and brings joy, but what he fails to mention
is that STDs, broken homes, rape, murder, slavery, divorces, abortions (more
murder), etc. are just a few of the repercussions that follow.
It is amazing to me that many
in our society actually worship this worthless angelic creature. Millions upon millions
of people have already been led to hell because of this evil demon, and who
knows how many more there will be before God closes the books. During this time
of grief over Mittens, I wonder at the grief God must feel over these many lost
souls.
It was no small matter for
Jesus to offer Himself as the only way for this evil to be removed and complete
happiness and joy to be reinstated for all eternity. Yet, most remain blinded
by Satan’s lies and avoid the Truth at their own detriment.
If the death of a beloved pet
can break our hearts, don’t you think God cares about us? Even more so, when we
lose a family member, don’t you think God longs for us to have peace, real
peace? If you recall Jesus wept over his friend Lazarus (John 11:35).
It deeply saddens me that
Mittens is gone, and it angers me that one mighty angel has brought such misery
to all of God’s creation. But then I think about the love God has for all His
creation, and all that He has done to provide a future eternity absent of all
tears.
Jesus sits in Heaven today
reminding us all to look toward Calvary. Satan has brought nothing but death,
but at the cross Jesus defeated death and gives life to all who will come to Him.
Satan bruised Jesus’ heel (Genesis 3:15), but Jesus will one day crush Satan’s
head (Romans 16:20). Satan thought the cross was his greatest victory, but
instead it was his greatest loss. There is victory in the cross, but only for
those who look beyond and see an empty tomb, and rest their faith in the Son of
God.
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
