Animal attacks on humans have seen a marked increase in recent years. On Memorial Day, for example, a 4-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion at a wildlife preserve in California. The boy was hiking with a group of six adults and five children in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, in an area known as Carson’s Crossing, when the cougar struck. His father threw rocks at the animal, and it fled, leaving the boy with non-life-threatening wounds to his head.

According to Dave Bitner, director of Wildlife Research Institute, mountain lion attacks on humans are very rare, owing to the fact that these animals normally only come out at night, and usually avoid humans. This mountain lion, however, was not afraid of humans, evidenced by the fact that while California Fish and Wildlife officials were investigating the incident, the beast returned and approached them. “The animal did not appear to be scared of the wardens, which is an indication that the animal is habituated,” an official said. 

Across the Pacific, on May 29, Thomas Smiley, a retired optometrist from California, was killed by a shark while swimming off the coast of Maui. An expert swimmer and diver, Smiley was unaware that authorities were monitoring the area because of earlier shark activity. For years, experts have always said that shark attacks are rare; but, with several attacks in the last few years–two of them fatal–I think it is safe to say that is no longer the case.

Incidents of pets attacking their owners are also on the rise. Last Tuesday, a Texas woman died of injuries sustained when her two pit bulls attacked her at an animal hospital. As I reflected on this, I thought of Charla Nash, who, in 2008, was horribly disfigured in a vicious attack by her neighbor’s pet chimpanzee. I also remembered Olga Moslealyova, a young Russian woman, who, in 2001, was eaten alive by a bear and her cubs.

Experts are uncertain why animals, once afraid of human beings, are attacking in ever-increasing numbers. Some believe it is mostly due to humans encroaching on animal habitats; while others, like Dave Bitner, believe it is due to animals becoming habituated to humans. While these may help to explain the increase in wild animal attacks, they do little to explain why even domesticated animals and family pets are attacking their masters in increasing numbers. And, while there is evidence that abuse has been a factor in some instances, it is not always the case.

Whenever something cannot be attributed to natural causes, you can bet that the cause is supernatural. In such cases, I look to the Holy Bible, the infallible source of supernatural wisdom, for the answer. 

You may be surprised to learn that the Bible tells us precisely why animal attacks are on the rise. Turn with me, if you will, to Chapter Nine of the Book of Genesis, which discusses the Great Flood. It has been almost a year since the first drop of rain fell, and the world was inundated with water, drowning all life. Only Noah, his family, and the animals that were aboard the Ark were spared. The waters have receded off the face of the earth, and the ark has come to rest on the mountains of Ararat. For the first time in nearly a year, Noah and his family step out of the ark onto dry land. God blesses Noah and his family, telling them to replenish the earth. We pick up there:

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you will be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, and upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.”

Genesis 9:1,2

Did you see that? God put the fear of man into every living creature on the earth. He did this to protect Noah and his family so they wouldn’t fall prey to the animals that came off the ark. This is because, prior to sin coming into the world, all animals were tame and docile, and only ate herbs. But the sin of Adam cursed the world so badly that even the animals had become corrupted, including the animals that were with Noah on the Ark. God therefore put the fear of Noah (and subsequently all humans) into every animal, from the smallest insect to the largest mammal, so that they would not fall prey to the wild animals, which greatly outnumbered Noah and his family, and procreate at a much faster rate. Even fish and marine life were afraid of man. If God had not done this, Noah would have been doomed, and mankind with him.

What happened? Why are animals no longer afraid of us? Why are humans being attacked by virtually every kind of animal, from fish to birds? Even docile animals like cows, giraffes, and elephants are attacking humans without provocation. Has God taken the fear of man and the dread of man out of animals? The answer is “Yes.”

Open your Bible and turn with me to Chapter Six of the Revelation of Jesus Christ; which, as you may know, deals with the Seven Seal Judgments. Here is the synopsis: In his vision, the Apostle John sees God the Father sitting on His throne with a book, or scroll, in His right hand, sealed with seven seals. Each seal is associated with a judgment upon sinful mankind. An angel asks who is worthy to loose the seals from the book, and only the Lord Jesus Christ is found worthy. As each of the first four seals is loosed, one of four beasts gathered around the throne of God says, “Come and see,” and John sees a horse of a certain color and its rider. These are commonly known as the Four Horsemen. We pick up as Jesus opens the fourth seal:

“And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

Revelation 6:7,8

Did you get that? At the opening of the fourth seal, it is pronounced that a fourth of the earth’s population would be killed with sword; hunger; and death, which are war; famine; and pestilence, respectively. The last judgment, is interesting, because the “beasts of the earth” are animals. That, my friends, means that the increase in animal attacks we see today is prophetic. It is the finger of God!

This thoroughly explains what experts cannot. While some of these attacks can certainly be attributed to the foolishness of the individuals involved, and while human encroachment on animals’ habitats may also play a role, by far, the best explanation for the increase in animal attacks is that it is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The hand of God is upon us. Scientists, therefore, can wrack their brains all they want, but it will be to no avail. Animal attacks are part of God’s judgment on the world; and you better believe that when God declares a thing, He will bring it to pass.

In spite of the increase in the frequency of these attacks, “experts” will continue to say they are rare. The attack on Thomas Smiley, for example, was the sixth this year; yet shark expert Michael Domeier said that the odds of someone being attacked by a shark are “1 in 12 million.” Granted, math is not my strong suit; but I can add pretty well: and that don’t add up.

If the Bible is true (and it is), then soon–and very soon–animal attacks will get so bad that it will be ridiculous to say they are rare. Remember, the Bible says that a quarter of the earth’s population must be killed by war, famine, disease, and animal attacks. There are almost eight billion of us on planet earth right now (7.71 billion according to World Population Review). If a quarter of that number (roughly two billion) are to be killed by war, famine, disease, and animal attacks, then (if distributed evenly) the number of the human family that will have been killed in animal attacks will be in the neighborhood of half a billion. That’s incredible!

Now don’t look for most of these attacks to be covered on the evening news, because they who run the media don’t want anyone getting scared and turning to the Lord Jesus. Social media will probably be the way most of these incidents will come to light. If not, it will still be enough for any thinking person to know that something is desperately wrong.

What must we do? We must repent! We must repent of our sins and the sins of our nation. We must repent of our idolatry. We must repent of our fornication. We must repent of our witchcraft. And we certainly must repent of our abuse and murder of the innocent. We must repent of our many sins, and seek a return to the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. We must seek out the Lord Jesus Christ, if haply we should feel for Him, though He be not far from any one of us.

If we don’t, then there just may be a lion’s paw out there with your name on it.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man