While the Japanese were celebrating the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the mastermind of that attack, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, had a sobering message for his countrymen. "We have awakened a sleeping giant," he said.

Even before the war began, the admiral had warned his emperor that Japan would enjoy early victories in any war with the United States, but that winning streak would last only six months to a year, after which American industrial might would inevitably overwhelm the small island nation.

He was right. For the first few months of World War II, the Japanese war machine steamrolled over the Pacific, humiliating and defeating the best that the United States and its allies (British Commonwealth and Dutch) could throw against it, winning battle after battle. To some, it seemed hopeless to resist.

Then came the Battle of Midway, where the Japanese Navy suffered its first catastrophe, and the long, bloody road to Allied victory began.

For years now, the gay lobby has steamrolled over the Christian conservative movement, humiliating us and defeating us in battle after battle. Then came the battle of "Duck Dynasty," and the gay lobby suffered a major backlash. Have they finally met their Midway?

For many years now, the drill has become familiar. Someone speaks out in favor of maintaining the traditions of marriage, and instantly the gay rights organizations are up in arms, making threats, filing lawsuits, and mobilizing protests. Then, instead of Christians putting up a serious resistance, there is apathy, apology, and defeat. The script was repeated over and again, time after time.

This time was different. This time, millions of Christians and other Americans, even some enlightened gays, said, enough is enough. We've had it with your bullying. We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore. The left was stunned, reeling backward in defeat. For the first time in a long time, they are not reloading, they are retreating.

I cannot say exactly how much of this came about because of "Duck Dynasty." While it obviously played a major role, I suspect there was more than one factor at work. The efforts of gays and others on the left to intimidate and silence Americans is not the only thing that Christians have become exasperated with. A whole host of other attacks upon First Amendment rights has gradually, perhaps invisibly, built up pressure in the hearts of freedom-loving Americans. A long list of violations of our rights by the most leftist president we have ever had surely played a role in the impatience Americans are feeling. If not the "Duck Dynasty" controversy, then some other event was sure to eventually blow the top off the volcano.

"Duck Dynasty" was not, we should note, entirely an accidental target of the social left. Its immense popularity had become perceived by Progressives as the very real threat it is -- a threat to those who wield the power of the entertainment media. It had long been known that small-budget, Christian-oriented movies are making strong inroads into the monopoly that the left has long claimed as its exclusive entitlement. Hollywood is the platform from which humanists and secularists broadcast their propaganda. In the bowels of this darkness, not even a few flickering candles of truth could be allowed to shine, because against the faintest candle, even the mightiest darkness is driven into defeat.

Against the small, intrepid flotilla of truth, the mighty battle-fleet of leftist dogma sailed forth, expecting yet one more victory on its way to total domination of society, a society in which (they hope) even the merest mention of Biblical teachings will be quickly crushed and smothered. They expected that smashing the ducksters would be done almost without breaking stride. A simple complaint, an implied threat, should do the job. Against the gay juggernaut, the Christian majority was predicted to cower in fear.

We now know that matters turned out very differently.

Very well. We won. The forces of would-be tyranny have suffered a major setback -- but we cannot afford to gloat. There is much more work to be done, and none of it will be easy. The great and bloody battles are yet to be fought. Winston Churchill warned the allies to expect victory, but only after much blood, toil, sweat and tears.

The victory is not ours, but God's, and He will win it for us, on His schedule, not ours.

It is not however, gloating, to visualize the disappointed aspiring dictators in their darkened caves, feeling the chill wind of forthcoming defeat, as they realize the grim truth -- they have awakened a sleeping giant.