The Winning Side
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of Thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and that time Thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book”. Daniel 12:1
A victory is when one side or team defeats another side or team and wins the prize. Sometimes victory is not easy to achieve especially when the opponent is tough, smart, intent upon winning, or the prize is too good to lose. Who are the opponents of Christians? Those are easy to identify but not so easy to defeat. They are sin, Satan, the secular world, and self. Sin is our opponent because we are born in sin, and we live in sin until we confess those sins and turn to Christ to save us from those sins. The wages of sin is death. Sin brings despair, destruction, and judgment of God. It causes separation from God because God cannot except any form of sin. Those who are born again are very aware of how dangerous and debilitating sin is. It is easier to recognize sin when one begins to see sin the way that God sees it.
Satan is our opponent because he is the author of sin. He introduced sin thousands of years ago in the garden of Eden, and man has become a slave to sin ever since. Satan promises pleasure and ease, but truly brings only pain and toil. He goes to and fro in the earth seeking whom he may devour. He tries to destroy the influence of Christians who must be on constant guard to resist him. The secular world is also our opponent because Satan is the prince of the power of the air. He has the majority of the world’s population caught up in his grip. Many times, when we have conflicts with others with whom we come in contact, it is because they are not right with God. That is not to say that they are always in the wrong, and we are always in the right, but Satan has a hold on them, encouraging them to think like he thinks, and to not respond righteously. They are not only in the world, but of the world. Their thinking is totally opposed to God’s word, and they see everything with a “here and now” worldly view. They’re not thinking about eternity.
As the saying goes, “we are our own worst enemy”, and the self is the one with whom folks have conflicts frequently, even Christians do as well. We let self get in the way of our service to the Lord. We have to be constantly on guard to always keep the Lord first, others second, and ourselves last. One of the greatest causes for many of our problems is selfishness. This is true among believers, but more so among the secular world. The great majority of abortions are performed for selfish reasons. We live in a “me first” world. That selfish and arrogant attitude will prevail until such time as Christ returns. Christians are hoping for a major revival to take place across the land. It could happen. However, it seems that it might not be feasible to expect large numbers of people to turn to Christ judging by how far down the slippery slope of sin the world has gone. It is certainly a matter of prayer for believers. Unless something happens to wake folks up to their sin, it’s only a matter of time before the trumpet blows.
As usual, there is always some disagreement about prophecy that is recorded in scripture. In Chapter 12 of the book of Daniel, the above verse states “at that time”…”there shall be a time of trouble”. Some believe that the events written about occurred in the middle of the second century B.C. when Antiochus Epiphanes IV ruled Syria. He was a sworn enemy of Israel, killing them in cold blood and hanging infants. He is known to scholars as a type of antichrist of the Old Testament. Others believe that this time refers to the Roman persecutions of Christians. Other scholars and most Christians believe the events that Daniel wrote about have yet to occur and represent the time of the seven-year period of tribulation and the return of Christ.
Those of us who believe God and the inerrancy of scripture know that the prophecies of the end times will come to pass. We don’t know all the details, and some of them are obscured by signs and symbols, but we know without a doubt that Jesus will come for His church and will return to rid the world of evil and set up His kingdom. We don’t know when these events will take place, but every day that passes brings us one day closer to the rapture, the tribulation, the thousand-year reign, and Jesus’ final victory over Satan. Only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be able to enjoy a life free of evil, pain, suffering, and sorrow and experience a peace that we now can only imagine. Until Christ returns, we live in a sin-cursed world. As we think about the opponents and the battles ahead, we can get sidetracked and begin to worry and fret, but all we have to do is to look up for our redemption draws nigh. We may be down at times, but we are not out. God does give us the victory.