At noon today……. I saw Satan.
I decided to go for my walk later in the day, the fall morning air is too crisp for my knees.
On September 11, 2006, the city of Broomfield, Colorado unveiled their 9/11 Memorial in a park nearby my home. I had gone to the ceremony but could not get close enough to really check out the bronze artwork that evening. Today, I decided to go to the park and spend some time at the memorial.
I read all the plaques and gazed at the figures and nameplates. On the front of each memorial is a picture in bronze, and on the back is a list of the names of the people who died in that scene. Behind the one for the World Trade Center, the Twin Towers, were several candles and brown, wilted roses. This depiction, of course, had the longest nameplate. My eyes were drawn to the bottom of the memorial, to a photograph, laminated with plastic, and sitting at the foot of the plaque. It was a picture of a young man, and his three little daughters. The name on the picture was Christopher Faughnan.
I searched the nameplates until I found his name there. Gazing at a list of names of people you don't know who have died is extremely sad. Putting a face and a story with that name seemed to make it more intense for me. I began to cry
I stayed at the memorial wandering around for a while, and then decided to walk across the street and sit on a bench by the small lake. As I sat there, I tried to consider what the people in the Twin Towers must have felt when they knew there was no hope to make it out alive from that morning’s destruction. What would it have felt like to watch the flames come in, and the walls and floor disintegrate and fall beneath your feet? The noise alone must have been enough to stop their hearts. As many have said, would their whole life have flashed in front of them? Or would it be so quick they didn’t even know when the final blow came?
Sitting beside that little lake, the water was reflecting the clouds. The swimming ducks and geese resting on the shore, and the seagulls were mesmerizing, as one or two at a time would take flight. The sun was warm and watching the birds come and go was like a healing balm.
I thought again about Chris Faughnan, and the daughters that must have been on his mind.
Suddenly, all the gulls took rapid flight, screeching and flapping their wings. It took me a few seconds to notice the geese and the ducks were swimming rapidly to the middle of the lake and squawking loudly.
And then . . . . . .I saw Satan.
He had four legs, he was white with dark brown and black spots mixed in his short hair. He was wearing a black and silver collar around his neck. He swam expertly through the water, with flawless form, his head just above the surface, and his fangs bared in a horrible grin. He was sure of himself, moving confidently toward the retreating waterfowl. He knew it would only be moments before he could clamp those fangs around one of them.
I stood up. I shouted “NO,” and I contemplated running into the lake to try and stop him. I felt helpless. Satan’s caretaker was standing on the other shore, clapping her hands, and trying to get him to stop and turn around. But he was not wearing a leash, and he was free to do as he wished.
The waterfowl had been so vulnerable as they swam following each other around and doing what all of them were used to - what seemed normal. They had no idea they were in danger, no idea that Satan’s caretaker would leave him off the leash or that he might swim faster than they could. They didn’t see that something as threatening as this could ever happen in such a peaceful and quiet place. But it can and will happen at any place.
In I Peter 5:8 we are warned: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
After Satan was mid-way across the lake, the waterfowl began to disperse all over, some taking flight. He must have realized that he was not going to be successful. He turned reluctantly and headed for the woman clapping her hands. No fangs around a neck today, praise God!
That morning I saw what God wanted me to see - Satan. I saw the enemy’s work in the tragedies of 9/11, of course, that would be a given. But to see him moving across the water so gracefully gave me a chilling viewpoint.
Most people would say that it was just animal instinct, survival, and animal nature. But is it really? "And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25 There’s nothing good in animals tearing each other apart. It is a result of the original sin.
Could Satan just plain hate so much that he entered that little dog and told him to kill one of God’s creations? I think that is possible. "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10, NLT
Could Satan hate so much that he enters an angry young man and leads him to take a gun and shoot innocent children? Consider this - "As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” John 13:27 Jesus knew what was going to happen, He was not encouraging Judas to do the act, but to get it over with.
God says Satan is a murderer, a liar, and a destroyer. To be that bad, you really do have to have that much hate, even for the least of God’s creatures. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs, and I know they are not usually possessed by Satan. The symbol of what I saw impacted me deeply. But Christopher Faughnan's terrible death and the memorial with his name in bronze was a greater impact. I still pray for his family.
Satan deceives us into thinking interaction with him is harmless, cute, fun, or just "human nature". The Hollywood industry, social media and gaming software are filled with evil, and darkness disguised as entertainment. This is particularly true in today’s world. Scroll through the menu on whatever platform you watch, plenty of evidence to show how the enemy is infiltrating our minds. There is a battle in our universe for territory, for the territories of our minds, hearts, and thoughts. There is a war going on between good and evil, right, and wrong, peace and turmoil, love, and hate – between the enemy of all of us and our loving God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18 If by beholding Christ we become changed into his likeness, then it must also be true that by beholding Satan we become changed into his likeness. That’s nothing to mess around with!
Jesus died so Satan cannot get his fangs around our necks forever. There will be an end to people destroying one another, to one animal devouring another. But we have a choice in this situation, as we do in all areas of life. It is important to guard the gates to our mind and our lives carefully. We don't want to become his tool to do evil. Don't give the enemy a free pass to your thoughts. Choose to behold what is good and true.
NOTE: You can read a bit about Christopher Faughnan at this link. This article was written in 2021. My original story was written in 2006.
The title was a great draw. I was surprised to read that your town had a citizen in the Towers. It made me wonder; just how many towns & villages did the population of the Twi Towers represent?
Satan would even destroy all the birds that fill the air with music and flight if it weren't for God's loving protection of them. Very good illustration of the importance of guarding our minds. Every inch of the earth is claimed by satan, and counter-claimed by God! We have the deciding vote for our own lives. Love this article!