God Has the Final Say – Onward to Victory!
There is a wicked and evil spirit in our world today that troubles and grieves our soul. No matter how much it troubles us, victory as been assured and we must move onward to victory. Watch Pastor McCrary’s message as he takes a look at overcoming the spirit of antichrist. You may not think it but today, we have reason to rejoice!
Sermon Introduction
Throughout this series of sermons, we have seen how the wicked seeks to inflict as much harm as possible to defeat the good. We must realize that in each step of the way, the good continue to withstand and endure the efforts of the wicked. Victory has been assured – the lowly will become the mighty. In today’s sermon, I will focus on not being grieved in the soul because of the wicked. God has the final say and His say is victory!
Why Aren’t We Rejoicing
Throughout this series, we have seen the testing of faith by the wicked and evil. When he was just a teenager, Daniel stood by his conviction of faith against Nebuchadnezzar’s wishes. Then, as an old man, Daniel with disciplined faith calmly endured a den of lions.
We also saw the testing of the faith of Daniel’s friends. With a strong conviction, they chose not to bow down to the demands of the wicked. In surrendering to the will of God we saw that they were delivered from the fiery furnace.
There is a wicked and an evil spirit in our world that troubles and grieves the soul. You may not think it but today, we still have reason to rejoice! No matter how much the wicked and evil spirit troubles us today, we have seen that victory has been assured to us! God won’t let us be defeated. So, today, I say that we should pick ourselves up in this fight and move onward to victory.
This is a word of encouragement that has to be continuously repeated today. The reason why is because so many of us move as if we are in a losing battle. Why is that? Why don’t we move in the assurance of victory? We have reason to rejoice but why aren’t we rejoicing?
Grieved in the Spirit
This is the thought that brings us back to Daniel this week. In Daniel 7:15, Daniel expressed that he was grieved in his spirit, within his body. What was the cause of his grief? Daniel had received a couple of visions that troubled him greatly and he wrote them down telling the main facts (Dan. 7:1).
Like Daniel, we have also been given visions, or revelations, about the future. Jesus shared with us that in His Father’s house are many mansions and that He is preparing a place for us (John 14:2-3). Then, Jesus promised to come again to receive us believers to Himself.
In the Revelation of Christ, we are shown the vision of a new heaven and a new earth coming forth as the old creation will pass away (Rev. 21:1). In this revelation of the future, we who are of sincere faith are seen reigning with our Lord forever and ever. Such a vision and revelation should be reason to rejoice, right? Yet, many of us are grieving in our souls.
Concerned about future troubles
Let’s try to understand Daniel’s cause for grief because maybe his cause is similar to why some of us are troubled today.
Daniel’s first vision, recorded in Daniel 7:1-8, was about four beasts that came up from the sea. The four beasts were all different from each other both in looks and in how terrible they were. Daniel, a man who was given the gift to understand and interpret dreams by God struggled to understand this vision. So, we are told that he asked “one of those who stood by” for the truth of the vision (Dan. 7:16).
“Those that stood by” is in reference to angels. You see, Daniel’s second vision shows us that he was in God’s throne room (Dan. 7:9-14). Daniel was surrounded by a great multitude in God’s throne room with angels being part of that multitude (Dan. 7:10). Daniel seeking clarity and understanding in this moment is what we should do when we are troubled. Never be afraid to seek the Lord for help, clarity, and understanding when you’re troubled because He will certainly give you clarity should you desire it.
So, the angel began to interpret Daniel’s vision for him to give him clarity. Daniel was told that the four beasts were four kings that would arise out of the earth (Dan. 7:17). These beasts represented Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. As history shows us, those empires were cruel with one being worse than the other.
Now, Daniel had already experienced the cruelty of Babylon and the Persians defeated them. So, what troubled Daniel was future wickedness plaguing the land. Is this what troubles us today? We see the wickedness of today and we’re concerned about what it could be tomorrow? I know that is something that certainly concerns me.
Some of us have grown tired of the wicked as we have had to put up with them for a lifetime. The mere idea of having to put up with them even more weighs on us and pains us. Today, it pains me to hear stories about school shootings as I thought back in 1999, when Columbine happened, nothing like that would happen again. Racism, sexism, and all the phobias still troubling the world today because evil just can’t let it go.
Should we be worried and grieved in our soul about the wicked? Something to consider as we continue to work through Daniel’s grief.
Troubling weapon of the adversary
In his vision, Daniel had seen a fourth beast that was exceedingly strong and dreadful. This was a beast that devoured and left everything in its way broken into pieces (Dan. 7:7). Daniel made a note of the fact that the fourth beast had ten horns with another little horn rising from it and speaking pompous (grand) words (Dan. 7:8). So, Daniel wanted to know the truth about the fourth beast and the little horn that rose from it (Dan. 7:19).
Again the angel interpreted the vision to give Daniel more clarity. The fourth beast represented a fourth kingdom on earth – Rome. The ten horns represented ten kingdoms which, in a manner of speaking, has or will arise from the fourth beast.
Then the angel told Daniel that from those ten horns will arise another that will subdue three of the kings (Dan. 7:24). The angel told Daniel that the little horn will speak words against the Most High and persecute the saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:25). Even more, the angel pointed out that the saints will be given into the hands of the horn for a time and times and a half a time.
With such a troubling interpretation, we can understand why Daniel was so troubled about what he had seen in his visions. You see, any time we read in scripture about someone being given into the hands of another, that spells defeat – certain death. So, Daniel saw history repeating itself for those that would choose to walk with God after he had experienced such a life.
As I preached earlier in this series, the roaring lion stirs up fear and anxiety. The fear of trouble is one of Satan’s greatest weapons to use against us. Why is that? When we fear, it can create doubt and doubt is what keeps us from moving forward in faith.
The Threat and Danger of the Antichrist
Should we live in fear of what our wicked adversaries may do to us? Should we let the wicked trouble us in our soul? Such visions have been given not to trouble us but to prepare us for what’s to come. When we know a storm is coming, we can prepare for it and better endure it.
With that in mind, there is a wicked and evil spirit present in the world today. What can be troubling to some of us is that the description of the little horn of Daniel’s vision lines up with that of the Antichrist.
Who is the Antichrist
Paul taught the Antichrist is one who will rise after the “falling way” (2 Thess. 2:3). The “falling away” is in reference to one key moment that has yet to happen. There is going to be a falling away from faith in the Lord after the removal of the church – true believers – when Christ receives us to Himself. This will give way to a time in which Jesus said there will be tribulation never seen before in the world (Matt. 24:15-28).
During the Great Tribulation the man of sin will be revealed. The man of sin – The Antichrist – will oppose God and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped (2 Thess. 2:4). The coming of the Antichrist is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders (2 Thess. 2:9). The sad part about all of this is that many will fall into his hands and believe his lies and deceptions.
The present spirit of antichrist
Again, we are in a battle of good and evil today. Though the Antichrist is not present today, we can feel his presence in the world today.
As Paul wrote, “the mystery of the ‘lawless one’ is already at work (2 Thess. 2:7).” Paul was saying that the mystery of the lawless one was already at work during his time! John backed up Paul in his first epistle. John wrote, “even now many antichrists have come” and were active during his time as an elder (1 John 2:18). In other words, though the person Antichrist isn’t in the world, the spirit of antichrist is certainly alive in the world.
John wrote that those who deny the Lord are of the spirit of antichrist. Such a denial is not simply just a denial about whether or not Christ has come but also a denial His way. The way of Christ is that of moving out of sincere love and not doing things just for personal gain.
Now, if you don’t think that the spirit of antichrist is present in the world today, just take a look around and his spirit is all over the place. Consider that the person of Antichrist will exalt himself above all things, thinking himself to be God. I promise you, we don’t have to look hard to find folks that exalt themselves and believe themselves to be God. Yes, there are people in the world today that have concepts to lord over everybody as a ruler of the world!
The person of Antichrist will deceive with power, signs, and lying wonders. Again, I promise you that you don’t have to look hard to find such a spirit in the world today. The wicked and the evil love to create this person of power image for those that are foolish enough to buy their strong person image. Such wicked and evil spirited people love to portray that they alone can solve the world’s problems! Give me a break!
People that move being possessed with such a wicked and evil spirit pose a great threat and danger to everybody. They move only out of selfish ambition and selfish ambition is a spirit that is willing to destroy any and everything only for oneself. Again, such a movement runs opposite to that of the Lord who desires for all people to come together and be fruitful (Gen. 1:28).
The spirit of the wicked and evil of today is antichrist— it is anti love. At every turn, we watch as the spirit of antichrist does all it can to sow division! Why is that? Because the spirit of the wicked and evil is a spirit that opposes unity and working together. The spirit of antichrist knows that when we love each other, when we work together, all people can prosper but such a wicked spirit only wants itself to be exalted!
The notion that good can come from a place of bitterness and hatred just doesn’t add up on a spiritual level. Jesus said, “a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit (Matt. 7:17).” Why are so many people foolishly looking for good fruit under a barren and corrupt tree?
Overcoming the Spirit of Antichrist
We are in a battle today against the spirit of great wickedness and evil. Are you afraid of the wicked and evil? We shouldn’t be fearful of them but prepared to do battle against them because God has given us the vision.
Let’s understand that the wicked and the evil will be defeated. You see, Daniel was so hung up on the beasts of his vision that he forgot seeing the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. The angel told Daniel, “The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever (Dan. 7:18).”
Yes, there’s going to be trouble that the saints will face. Yes, the wicked and the evil will become more and more wicked and vile in their way. Yet, the angel pointed out to Daniel that God has the final say and His say is victory for the righteous!
The angel told Daniel that the courts will be seated as they will take away what the horn thought belonged to him (Dan. 7:26). The man of sin will be defeated. Paul wrote that the Lord will consume the lawless one with the breath of His mouth and destroy Him with the brightness of His coming (2 Thess. 2:8).
In the Revelation of Christ, a rider on a white horse who was called Faithful and True is revealed to us. Scripture tells us that in righteousness He judges and makes war (Rev. 19:11). The name of this rider is “The Word of God”— this is Christ (Rev: 19:13; John 1:1, 14). Coming with Him will be the “armies in heaven” who will come riding on their white horses. The army that comes with Him won’t be the angels but will be the saints— those of us who are of true faith!
John said that He saw Jesus and the armies in heaven capture the beast and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20)! Both the beast and the false prophet who worked his signs will be captured alive and thrown into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Then those who are of sin – wickedness and evil – are shown going before God’s great white throne and cast away from His presence for eternity (Rev. 20:11-15).
Again, I tell you that God has the final say and His say is victory for the saints! Yes, we may have trouble today but tomorrow will bring forth victory for us! As the Antichrist defeat is promised, those of the spirit of antichrist will never have victory over you. All of us true believers will literally rise over them when we put off this mortal and put on our immortal and glorified bodies (1 Thess. 4:15-18)!
I have shared this series of sermons with you because I don’t want you to ever give up hope because of the wicked and evil fools in the world today. My desire is for all of us to continue onward to victory! To do that, we must meet the wicked and evil on the battlefield because whether we realize it or not, God has given them into our hands— they shall lose.